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"HE  \VILL  CARRY  THE  l^ANIEJS  IN  HIS  BOSOM." 


YOUNG  FOLKS'  BIBLE 

IN  WORDS  OF  EASY  READING ; 

THE  SWEET  STORIES  OF  GOD'S  WORD 

IN   THE   LANGUAGE   OF   CHILDHOOD 

AND 

In.  the   Reautiftal   Delineations  of  Christian  Art. 

THE   WHOLE  DESIGNED   TO 

IMPRESS  THE    MIND  AND    HEART  OF  THE   YOUNGEST    READERS,  AND  KINDLE  A 
GENUINE  LOVE  FOR  THE  BOOK  OF  BOOKS. 

BY 

JOSEPHINE  POLLARD, 

Author  of  ''History  of  the  Old  Testament"  "History  of  the  New  Testament,"  etc.,  etc. 


REV.  W.   H.    MILBURN,   13.   ID., 

TO   WHICH    IS   ADDED 

THE   CHILD    AND   THE    BIBLE, 

By  PROF.  DAVID  SWING, 

AND 

AN    .ADDRESS    TO   CHILDREN: 

THE  BIBLE  THE  BOOK  FOR  THE  YOUNG, 

By  REV.  JOHN   H.  BARROWS,  D.  D. 


NEARLY  200  STRIKING  ORIGINAL  ENGRAVINGS  AND  WORLD-FAMOUS 
MASTER-PIECES  OF  SACRED  ART, 

AND   WITH 

IvlAGNIEICENT     COLORED 


CHICAGO  AXD  NEW  YORK; 

5.   Jjeale  £f  (£/orapaay, 
1890. 


Copyright 

I'.y  JOSEPH  L.  BLAMIRE. 
18S8. 


Copyright 

Ry  R.  S.  PEALE  &  CO. 
1889. 


Stack 


oil 


PREFACE. 

The  word  Bible  is  from  the  Greek,  and  means 
THE  BOOK.  It  is  made  up  of  several  small  books, 
and  when  bound  in  two  parts  is  known  as  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New  Testament.  A  Testament 
is  a  will ;  and  the  Bible  is  God's  will  made  for  man's 
good,  and  for  his  guide  through  life.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment tells  of  God's  love  and  care  for  the  Jews,  and 
His  thought  of  Christ  can  be  traced  through  all  its 
pages.  There  is  a  good  deal  in  the  Bible  that  a  child 
cannot  understand,  and  the  queer  names  make  it 
very  hard  reading. 

It  has  been  the  Author's  aim  to  tell  the  story 
simply,  and  in  Bible  language,  so  that  the  little  ones 
can  read  it  themselves,  and  learn  to  love  and  prize 
it  as  the  best  of  all  books. 

j.  P. 


2230711 


INTRODUCTION. 


BY  REV.  WILLIAM  HENRY  MILBURN,  D.  D. 


NO  man  of  his  time  filled  a  larger  space  in  the  public  eye  of  this 
country  than  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke.  His  eccentricities, 
audacity  and  brilliancy, — his  pride  of  birth  and  race,  fearlessness 
and  self-assertion, — his  incisive  and  trenchant  speeches  set  off  with  spark- 
ling wit,  keen  satire,  fierce  invective,  clothed  in  perfect  English,  and 
uttered  with  the  style  of  a  master,  his  sharp  criticisms  of  the  faults  and 
short-comings  of  his  fellow-Congressmen,  which  gained  for  him  the  title, 
"schoolmaster  of  Congress,"  together  with  his  political  consistency  and 
fitfulness  of  temper,  invested  all  his  movements  and  sayings  with  a 
peculiar  charm  for  the  people.  In  his  earliest  years  he  had  been  carefully 
taught  by  his  beautiful  mother,  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ten 
Commandments,  and  many  parts  of  God's  Word,  until  he  had  them  by 
heart,  and  yet,  in  his  haughty  youth  and  early  manhood  he  strove  to  set 
at  naught  these  teachings:  furnished  himself  with  a  "whole  body  of  in- 
fidelity," as  he  styled  his  collection  of  the  writings  of  Voltaire  and  other 
French  authors,  as  well  as  British,  who  strove  to  abolish  the  Bible,  and 
for  many  years  it  seemed  at  once  his  pride  and  delight  to  wield  the  weap- 
ons drawn  from  these  arsenals  against  the  truths  which  make  men  wise 
unto  Eternal  Life,  and  to  jeer  with  flout  and  scoff  at  all  he  had  learned 
from  his  mother's  lips.  But  later  on  he  confessed,  with  heart-breaking 
sobs  and  bitter  tears,  that  with  all  his  arrogance  and  insolence,  his  stern 
resolve  to  become  and  continue  a  Deist,  he  had  never  been  able  to  put 
aside  for  a  single  day  or  night  the  lessons  taught  him  by  his  mother,  and 
that  the  hallowed  forms  of  sound  words,  learned  on  her  lap  or  at  her 
knee,  had  dwelt  with  him,  and  were  ever  sounding  in  his  ears,  to  ad- 
monish, counsel  and  reprove.  There  have  been  few  more  pathetic  scenes 
than  that  in  which  Randolph  came  to  die ;  a  gaunt  old  man,  old  before 


his  time;  worn  out  by  misery,  shrivelled  and  haggard,  sitting  upright  in 
his  bed,  covered  by  a  blanket,  even  his  head  enveloped  and  his  hat  on  top 
of  it ;  unutterable  despair  looking  out  at  his  eyes,  his  pinched  lips  and 
squeaking  voice  uttering,  "Let  me  see  it;  get  a  dictionary;  find  me  the 
word  Remorse."  A  dictionary  could  not  be  found.  "Write  it;  I  must 
see  it,"  he  almost  shrieked  with  failing  voice.  The  word  was  written  on 
his  visiting  card  below  his  name ;  he  demanded  that  it  should  be  written 
above  as  well.  The  card  was  handed  to  him.  "Remorse,  John  Ran- 
dolph of  Roanoke,  Remorse."  With  horror  in  his  face  and  that  card  in 
his  hand,  his  eyes  staring  at  the  word,  he  breathed  his  last.  From  that 
mournful  death-bed  seemed  to  come  floating  the  solemn  words,  "Take 
fast  hold  of  instruction;  keep  her;  let  her  not  go,  for  she  is  thy  life," 
and  "He  that  sinneth  against  wisdom  wrongeth  his  own  soul." 

Long  centuries  ago,  a  young  man  of  aristocratic  birth,  handsome 
person,  polished  manners,  brilliant  and  highly  cultivated  intellect,  was 
walking,  on  a  day  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Julian,  by  the  bank 
of  the  river  Orontes,  not  far  from  the  stately  city  of  Antioch,  the 
Paris  of  that  age, — and  saw  something  floating  in  the  stream.  The 
branch  of  a  tree  enabled  him  to  drag  it  ashore ;  it  proved  to  be  a  copy  of 
the  sacred  Scriptures;  Julian,  the  mad  master  of  the  world,  had  issued 
an  edict,  annexed  to  which  were  heavy  penalties,  that  all  copies  of  that 
book  should  be  destroyed.  The  young  man  who  drew  the  manuscript  to 
shore  had  been  taught  the  lessons  of  that  volume  from  a  child,  by  his 
pious  mother,  Anthusa ;  but  he  had  thrown  off  the  yoke  of  his  mother's 
faith ;  had  become  a  devotee  of  heathen  philosophy,  poetry  and  rhetoric, 
and  at  the  same  time  steeped  himself  in  the  licentious  pleasures  and  dis- 
sipations of  the  Grove  of  Daphne,  the  Hippodrome  and  Theatre,  and  re- 
solved that  "the  man  Christ  Jesus  should  not  reign  over  him."  He 
opened  the  parchment,  some  words  on  the  page  caught  his  eye;  they 
were  familiar,  yet  shone  with  a  new  light  and  were  armed  with  irresistible 
power:  he  read  on  ;  his  mother's  prayers  were  answered ;  he  embraced 
the  truth,  bowed  his  neck  to  the  yoke  he  had  foresworn,  and  the  vol- 
ume he  rescued  from  the  flood  became  a  treasure-trove  for  the  world, — 


through  fifteen  centuries  alike  in  the  east  and  west, — that  man  has  been 
known  as  St.  John  Chrysostom,  the  "Mouth  of  Gold,"  one  of  the  most 
saintly  and  eloquent  preachers,  whose  life,  genius,  sufferings  and  death  for 
conscience's  sake  adorned  the  history  of  mankind. 

Not  far  from  the  same  time,  a  young  man  bathed  in  tears  lay  writh- 
ing in  agony  under  a  rig  tree  in  the  garden  of  his  house  at  Milan.  His 
devout  mother,  Monica,  in  their  Numidian  home,  had  taught  him  the 
way  of  life  written  in  God's  Word ;  but  as  he  grew  to  manhood  he  strove 
to  shake  off  the  influence  and  authority  of  her  instruction;  became  a  lib- 
ertine, reached  forth  to  grasp  the  crown  of  heathen  eloquence  and  learn- 
ing, and  for  more  than  ten  years  wrought  steadily  to  undo  the  sacred 
work  his  mother  had  performed  for  him  as  a  child.  But  the  lesson  she 
had  taught  him  lay  deeper  than  his  surging  passions,  imperious  intellect, 
and  haughty  will,  and  because  of  their  power  over  him  he  could  find  no 
rest  night  or  day.  He  journeyed  to  Carthage,  Rome,  Milan,  the  chief 
cities  of  the  western  world,  to  study  art  and  eloquence,  to  drench  his  soul 
with  the  pleasures  of  sense  and  lay  the  ghost  of  his  disquiet;  but  in  vain. 
In  his  anguish  under  the  fig  tree  he  heard,  or  seemed  to  hear,  again  and 
again,  "Take  it  up  and  read,  Take  it  up  and  read."  Springing  to  his 
feet,  he  ran  to  a  friend  near  by  who  was  reading  the  Word.  Seizing  the 
volume,  his  eyes  rested  on  the  words,  "Let  us  walk  honestly  as  in  the 
day ;  not  in  rioting  and  drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and  wanton- 
ness, not  in  strife  and  envying.  But  put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
make  not  provisions  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfill  the  lusts  thereof."  The  birth- 
pangs  of  his  conversion  were  ended  ;  he  found  peace  in  believing;  and 
that  incident  makes  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  world,  for  that  man 
was  none  other  than  Saint  Augustine,  the  influence  of  whose  writings  has 
swayed  with  more  might  than  that  of  an  imperial  sceptre  the  destinies  of 
western  Christendom  for  ages.  "Therefore,  whosoever  heareth  these  say- 
ings of  mine  and  doeth  them,"  saith  the  Lord,  "I  will  liken  him  unto  a 
wise  man  which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock ;  and  the  rain  descended, 
and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house  ;  and 
it  fell  not,  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock.  And  every  one  that  heareth 


these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  fool- 
ish man  which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand  ;  and  the  rains  descended, 
and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house  and 
it  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it."  Woe  to  Randolph  !  he  heard  and 
would  not,  and  his  house  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it.  Mankind  with 
one  voice  calls  Augustine  and  Chrysostom  blessed ;  they  heard,  obeyed, 
and  their  houses  stand  forever;  they  were  built  upon  the  rock.  "Their 
Rock  is  not  as  our  Rock,  our  enemies  themselves  being  judges"  was  the 
boast  of  Israel  at  an  early  day.  With  how  much  fuller  emphasis  may 
Christendom  utter  it  to-day.  Compare  India  with  Britain,  China  with 
the  United  States,  and  after  all  other  forces  are  measured  and  allowed, 
it  will  be  found  that  the  significant  and  self-renewing  causes  for  the  su- 
periority of  the  western  nations  over  the  eastern  are  the  presence,  author- 
ity and  influence  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament.  "And  he  shewed  me 
a  pure  river  of  water  of  life  clear  as  crystal  proceeding  out  of  the  throne 
of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  In  the  midst  of  the  street  of  it,  and  on  either 
side  of  the  river,  was  there  the  tree  of  life,  which  bare  twelve  manner  of 
fruits  and  yielded  her  fruit  every  month;  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were 
foi  *he  healing  of  the  nations." 

AH  this  beautiful  book,  Miss  Pollard,  with  admirable  tact  and  skill, 
has  made  a  path  by  which  the  children  may  draw  near  to  that  river  and 
drink  of  the  water  of  life ;  and  the  artists  whose  genius  has  been  laid  un- 
der such  effective  contribution  by  the  liberality  of  the  publisher,  will  help 
the  little  ones  to  gather  the  leaves  and  pluck  the  fruit  of  that  tree. 

Every  home  in  the  land  blessed  by  the  presence  of  boys  and  girls  will 
be  illumined  and  enriched  by  this  volume;  every  mother  who  strives  to 
train  her  children  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord"  will  be 
signally  helped  by  its  ministry. 

The  letter-press  will  quicken  the  understanding  and  attune  the  ear,  and 
the  treasures  of  art  contained  in  these  pages  will  arouse  the  imagination 
and  stimulate  the  memory  of  the  young  to  lay  hold  upon  and  receive  all 
that  is  contained  in  "the  one  Book — "  "Oldest  Choral  melody  as  of  the 
heart  of  mankind ;  soft  and  great  as  the  summer  midnight,  as  the  world 
with  the  seas  and  stars." 


No  man's  education  can  be  complete,  no  human  life  can  have  its 
full  store  of  flowers  and  fruits,  which  is  not  begun,  continued  and  ended 
in  the  ever  deepening  study  and  love  of  the  articulate  word  of  God. 

I  cannot  better  close  this  introduction  than  with  this  remarkable  pas- 
sage, modified  to  suit  my  purpose.  "Who  will  say  that  the  uncommon 
beauty  and  marvelous  English  of  the  household  Bible  is  not  the  strong- 
hold and  safeguard  of  the  literary  taste  and  culture  of  this  country  as  well 
as  its  character.  It  lives  like  a  music  that  can  never  be  forgotten,  like  the 
sound  of  church  bells  which  the  reader  hardly  knows  how  he  can  forego. 
Its  felicities  often  seem  to  be  almost  things  rather  than  mere  words.  It 
is  part  of  the  national  mind,  and  the  anchor  of  national  seriousness.  The 
memory  of  the  dead  passes  into  it.  The  potent  traditions  of  childhood 
are  stereotyped  into  its  phrases.  The  power  of  all  the  man's  griefs  and 
trials  are  hidden  beneath  its  words.  It  is  the  representative  of  his  best 
moments;  and  all  that  there  has  been  about  him  of  soft  and  gentle  and 
pure  and  penitent  and  good,  speaks  to  him  forever  out  of  his  English 
Bible.  It  is  his  sacred  thing,  which  doubt  has  never  dimmed'and  contro- 
versy never  soiled.  It  has  been  to  him  all  along  as  the  silent,  yet  oh, 
how  intelligible !  voice  of  his  guardian  angel,  and  in  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land  there  is  not  a  Christian,  with  one  spark  of  religious- 
ness about  him,  whose  spiritual  Biography  is  not  in  his  Saxon  Bible." 

WASHINGTON,  April,  1889. 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  BIBLE. 


BY  PROF.  DAVID  SWING. 


THAT  reading  and  study  are  very  imperfect  which  do  not  bring  to 
all  our  young1  people  a  knowledge  of  the  general  contents  of  the 
Bible.     The  Old  and  New  Testaments  contain  the  best  moral  and 
religious  thought  and  belief  of  two  important  epochs  in  man's  history 
—  the  Hebrew  and  Christian  periods.     It  contains  the  history,  the  wis- 
dom, the  morality,  the  piety  and  the  hope  of  that  part  of  the  human 
race  that  made  religion  the  chief  aim  of  the  nation  and  the  individual. 
The  Hebrew  people  was  set  apart  for  the  special  task  of  carrying  for- 
ward the  idea  of  God.     That  race  gradually  separated  the  real  Creator 
from  the  many  false  divinities  of  the  barbarian  tribes  and  slowly  built  up 
that  conception  of  Deity  which  is  seen  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Job  and 
in  the  twenty-third  and  nineteenth  Psalms.      The  Book  of  Job  and  the 
Psalms  of  David  are  the  grand  autumnal  fruitage  of  that  vineyard  of 
worship  in  which  Enoch  and  Abraham  were  toilers  in  the  early  spring- 
time of  our  world. 

No  such  advance  toward  the  true  God  would  have  taken  place  had 
the  Mosaic  race  moved  out  of  Egypt  only  to  found  a  State  which  might 
build  elsewhere  duplicates  of  the  pyramids  of  the  Nile,  or  a  State  which, 
like  Babylonia,  might  live  only  for  luxury,  or  which,  like  Greece,  might 
live  only  for  the  fine  arts,  or  which,  like  Rome,  might  find  a  reason  of 
being  in  wars  of  conquest.  Divinely  led,  the  Hebrew  people  migrated 
from  Egypt  that  beyond  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Jordan  they  might  found 
a  republic  or  empire  for  the  study  and  founding  of  the  true  religion. 
Israel  stands  as  the  wonder  of  the  past,  the  only  nation  in  all  history 
that  elected  God  for  its  king  and  went  up  into  a  high  mountain  so  as  to 


deduce  its  laws  from  the  thunder  and  storm  and  from  the  sunlight  and 
peace  of  His  presence.  With  what  success  it  achieved  its  task  may  be 
learned  from  reading-  the  meditations  in  Job  and  the  Psalms,  and  from 
the  lofty  rhapsodies  of  Isaiah  and  Malachi.  When  to  the  sacred  records 
of  that  long  day  and  night  of  toil  and  progress  are  added  the  coming  of 
the  divine  Christ  and  the  moral  phenomena  of  t7ie  first  Christian  centu- 
ry, a  book  is  composed  at  which  to  scoff  is  a  proof  of  a  weak  or  a  wicked 
mind,  and  in  which  to  read  often  and  thoughtfully  is  evidence  of  a  will- 
ingness to  seek  after  the  living  God  and  to  find  the  best  answers  to  the 
many  problems  of  life  and  death. 

Much  that  is  valuable  in  these  two  testaments  is  recorded  in  events 
or  in  parables,  and  for  all  young  minds  and  for  nearly  all  older  intellects, 
the  doctrines,  the  alarms,  the  benedictions,  the  promises,  the  hopes  are 
treasured  up  in  incidents  which  might  be  thrown  upon  canvas  or  carved 
out  of  marble.  Faith  is  seen  in  the  picture  of  Abraham  ;  patriotism, 
courage,  honor,  piety  in  Moses ;  justice  in  the  story  of  Lot's  wife  ;  eter- 
nal friendship  in  Ruth  ;  reckless  ambition  in  Absalom  ;  resignation  in 
Job ;  faithfulness  in  Daniel ;  while  in  the  New  Testament  the  pictures 
offered  in  the  Christ,  the  Marys,  the  Johns  and  St.  Paul  have  been  too 
many  and  too  great  for  art  to  equal. 

These  incidents  and  persons  of  the  Bible  form  in  the  mind  of  the 
one  who  knows  them  a  perfect  treasure-house  filled  with  the  gems  of 
true  religion.  When  that  gifted  writer  who  composed  the  hymn  "  Nearer 
my  God  to  Thee  "  sat  down  to  her  task,  what  an  imperfection  would 
have  marked  her  poem  had  she  not  known  of  Jacob's  stony  pillow  and 

beautiful  dream! 

Though  like  a  wanderer, 

The  sun  gone  down, 
Darkness  be  over  me, 

My  rest  a  stone. 

And  the  two  following  stanzas  would  have  been  wanting ;  nor  is  it 
probable  that  the  writer,  although  a  woman  most  gifted,  could  have  found 
in  all  literature  any  compensation  for  her  loss  and  our  loss.  In  the 
"  Battle-Hymn  of  the  Republic,"  the  eloquent  writer  shows  in  her  first 


line  her  memory  of  Simeon,  and  through  his  eyes  she  looked  and  said : 
"  Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord,"  and  in  the 
last  verse,  back  comes  one  of  the  most  beautiful  incidents  in  the  New 
Testament :  "  In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies,  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea." 

Thus  have  thousands  of  years,  in  all,  acted  as  the  great  time- space 
tor  attaching  the  Hebrew  and  Christian  mind  and  heart  to  the  persons 
and  incidents  found  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Not  to  know  all  these 
Heaven-sent  emblems  of  virtue,  wisdom,  piety  and  salvation  is  not  only 
not  to  be  a  Christian,  but  it  is  to  stand  afar  off  from  the  honor  of  even 
a  common  education  and  the  most  needful  culture. 

For  the  youth  of  our  country  Josephine  Pollard,  a  wonderful  friend 
of  all  those  who  are  living  their  early  years,  and  as  good  a  writer  as  she 
is  a  friend,  has  detached  from  the  Bible  this  volume  of  historic  incidents, 
and  while  they  make  a  continuous  record  of  the  old  and  the  new  dispen- 
sations, they  are  separated  from  that  which  is  too  abstract  to  detain  and 
impress  the  youngest  readers.  To  these  interesting  events  she  has  made 
the  engraver  add  his  art,  and  the  picture  of  the  pencil  comes  to  help  the 
picture  more  hidden  in  the  words.  While  Christ  is  speaking  of -the 
"lost  sheep"  the  picture  reveals  the  lonely  mountains  and  the  lamb 
missed  from  the  flock.  While  the  great  Teacher  is  speaking  of  the  fool- 
ish virgins,  the  picture  appears  of  the  thoughtless  ones  attempting  in 
vain  to  find  oil  for  their  lamps.  Thus  the  pictures  of  history  combine 
with  the  suggestive  sketches  of  the  artist  and  engraver,  to  make,  indeed, 
a  Bible  for  Young  People.  The  authoress  came  to  her  task  with  rare 
fitness,  and  while  the  young  folks  are  reading  her  volume  they  will  find 
not  only  the  religious  truths  they  all  need,  but  they  will  also  find  the 
simplicity  and  power  of  their  own  English  language. 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  CHILDREN, 


BY  JOHN  H.  BARROWS,  D.D. 


THE  BIBLE  THE  BOOK  FOR  THE  YOUNG. 


GOD  once  said  :  "  And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  to  thy  chil- 
dren." The  whole  Bible,  Old  Testament  and  New,  was  meant 
to  be  taught  to  the  boys  and  girls  all  over  the  world.  When  I 
was  in  Egypt,  fifteen  years  ago,  I  lay  one  beautiful  moonlight  night  on 
the  white  sand  of  an  island  in  the  river  Nile.  It  was  an  island  away  up 
near  the  equator,  and  as  I  lay  there  I  saw  beautiful  trees  with  their  long, 
leafy  branches  above  me ;  I  saw  green  fields  reaching  out  on  either  side  ; 
I  heard  the  old  river  Nile  rippling  over  the  stones  in  its  bed ;  and  I 
thought  of  the  rich  fields  of  cotton  and  wheat  and  sugar-cane  and  of  the 
thousands  of  palm  trees  which  I  had  seen  along  the  river,  and  of  all  the 
people  who  had  gotten  their  bread  from  the  waters  of  the  Nile,  which, 
covering  the  sand  of  the  desert,  make  it  fertile  and  fruitful,  and  I  blessed 
God  for  the  Nile.  Where  does  it  come  from  ?  You  have  learned  that 
the  Nile  springs  from  the  snows  of  very  high  mountains  away  up  in 
Abyssinia,  and  from  two  immense  lakes  in  the  center  of  Africa,  and  it 
carries  the  waters  from  these  mountains  and  lakes  down  through  Egypt, 
and  turns  a  desert  into  a  garden. 

But  there  is  another  river  more  wonderful  than  the  river  of  old 
Egypt.  It  flows  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  and  flows  over  this 
world,  and  brings  with  it  all  that  is  beautiful  and  healthful  and  good. 
The  waters  of  this  river  are  carried  off  in  little  canals,  and  are  brought 
into  the  homes  and  churches  and  Sunday-schools  ;  and  wherever  they 
go  tend  to  make  lives  good  and  happy.  Little  children  love  this  River 


of  God,  and  dip  their  cups  into  it  and  drink,  and  there  is  a  voice  speak- 
ing in  their  ears  and  saying  :  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water 
of  life  freely."  There  are  some  people  who  have  traveled  round  the 
world  and  seen  many  very  interesting  lands  and  strange  and  curious 
people  —  white  men,  red  men,  black  men,  copper-colored  men,  yellow 
men,  but  they  will  tell  you  that  they  never  saw  men  where  the  children 
were  happy,  where  the  homes  were  happy,  and  where  people  were  try- 
ing to  do  each  other  good,  unless  this  River  of  God  went  there  first. 
This  beautiful  river  that  is  doing  so  much  for  all  who  live  on  its  banks, 
-  it  is  the  Bible,  the  Word  of  God,  which  tells  us  about  Himself  and 
about  ourselves,  which  speaks  to  us  of  a  Savior  and  of  the  life  after 
death. 

Some  years  ago  a  black  prince  in  Africa  sent  a  messenger  to  Queen 
Victoria,  a  man  who  was  to  ask  her  what  was  the  reason  that  England 
was  so  rich  and  prosperous  ;  and  she  sent  back  to  this  African  savage 
something  that  told  the  whole  story.  What  do  you  suppose  it  was  ? 
Not  a  rifle,  not  a  sword,  not  a  steam-engine,  not  a  plow,  not  a  sewing-- 
machine, but  a  copy  of  the  Bible.  Let  me  tell  you  five  things  about 
this  book,  and  if  you  know  how  to  spell  the  word  Bible  you  will  find 
them  easy  to  remember —  B-I-B-L-E. 

First,  then,  the  Bible  is  a  beautiful  book.  I  do  not  mean  as  to  its 
shape  and  color.  It  may  be  very  lovely  or  it  may  be  very  plain,  as  it 
looks  to  your  eye.  I  have  seen  Bibles  that  you  could  buy  for  a  sixpence, 
and  I  have  a  New  Testament  that  I  bought  for  a  penny.  I  have  seen 
Bibles  which  were  copied  with  a  pen  and  filled  with  pictures  on  which 
men  labored  for  years,  and  which  you  couldn't  buy  for  a  thousand  dollars. 
When  I  say  that  the  Bible  is  a  beautiful  book,  I  mean  that  it  is  full  of 
beautiful  thoughts  and  beautiful  pictures  and  beautiful  stories  that  speak 
to  our  minds.  God  often  talks  with  children  through  pictures.  You  love 
things  that  speak  to  you  through  the  eye,  like  flowers  and  birds,  and 
your  dear  mother's  face.  Just  think  of  some  of  the  pictures  God  has 
given  us  in  this  Book. 

I  see,  with  my  mind's  eye,  a  garden,  large,  fair,  with  great  trees  and 


beautiful  walks,  pure,  clear  streams  with  lovely  flowers,  with  animals 
playing-  about,  with  two  trees  that  were  set  apart  from  the  rest,  one 
called  the  Tree  of  Life  and  the  other  the  Tree  of  the  Knowledge  of 
Good  and  Evil.  I  see  a  man  in  this  garden,  and  animals  passing  before 
him  and  hear  him  giving  them  names.  Now  I  see  a  city  with  twelve 
gates,  each  gate  a  pearl.  The  city  has  walls  made  of  twelve  kinds  of 
jewels,  and  the  streets  are  of  pure  gold,  and  there  is  no  temple  in  the 
city  and  no  sun,  but  it  is  very  glorious  and  wonderful.  I  see  a  beautiful 
River  and  a  glorious  Sea,  and  a  great  multitude  of  shining  ones  with 
harps  in  their  hands,  and  I  see  a  throne  and  One  that  sits  thereon,  more 
lovely  and  beautiful  and  mighty  and  glorious  than  any  words  can  say. 
The  little  three-year-old  boy  before  he  can  read,  loves  to  take  his 
picture  book  and  see  things  that  are  to  him  very  wonderful,  and  when  he 
gets  a  little  older  he  loves  to  take  a  box  of  paints  and  a  brush  and  color 
the  pictures  in  some  of  his  books.  The  first  book  I  ever  colored  was 
full  of  Bible  pictures.  There  was  the  picture  of  a  man  on  the  top  of  a 
hill  with  his  son  laid  on  a  heap  of  stones.  The  father's  face  was  sad, 
and  the  old  man  was  lifting  a  knife  in  his  hand ;  and  there  was  a  sheep 
caught  in  a  bush  near  by ;  and  there  was  the  figure  of  an  angel  in  the 
sky.  Then  there  was  the  picture  of  a  young  man  lying  on  the  ground, 
with  stones  under  his  head  for  a  pillow,  and  a  stairway  or  ladder  reach- 
ing up  to  the  heavens  above,  with  angels  going  up  and  down.  There 
was  the  picture  of  a  boy  whose  father  gave  him  a  coat  of  many  colors, 
and  how  I  liked  to  daub  on  the  red  and  yellow  and  blue  paint,  and  I  am 
afraid  I  took  a  pin  and  punched  out  the  eyes  in  the  pictures  of  the 
brothers  of  this  boy  —  those  brothers  who,  as  you  remember,  cast  him 
into  a  dry  well  and  afterward  sold  him  as  a  slave.  There  was  a  picture 
of  a  little  boy  lying  in  a  little  boat  which  was  among  the  tall  grasses  of 
a  river.  There  was  the  picture  of  a  great  tent  in  the  desert,  with  altars 
on  which  fire  was  burning,  and  a  great  pillar  of  cloud  resting  down  on 
it  in  the  midst  of  the  tent.  And  then  far  over  in  the  book  was  the  pic- 
ture of  the  best  Man  who  ever  lived,  taking  little  children  in  His  arms, 
putting  His  hands  on  them  and  blessing  them. 


The  Bible  is  a  beautiful  book  for  a  great  many  reasons  that  I  can't 
^,peak  of  now.  Its  beauty  is  not  like  that  of  an  apple  blossom,  which 
soon  fades  away.  It  grows  more  and  more  lovely  as  you  grow  older. 
I  like  ic  see  a  little  child  reading  with  happy  face  from  this  book  which 
tells  of  God's  love  ;  but  it  is  lovelier  still  to  see  the  old  grandmother, 
who  loved  the  Bible  in  childhood,  putting  on  her  spectacles  and  reading 
these  words  of  David  :  "  Oh,  how  I  love  thy  law  !  It  is  my  meditation 
all  the  day.  How  sweet  are  thy  words  to  my  taste,  yea,  sweeter  than 
honey  to  my  mouth  ! "  Two  of  the  most  beautiful  things  that  we  ever 
see  are  gold  and  honey  —  gold,  bright  shining,  and  the  honey  which 
looks  like  liquid  gold,  shut  up  in  little  boxes  of  pearl.  Now  I  am  going 
to  end  what  I  have  to  say  about  the  Bible  as  beautiful,  by  telling  you 
what  David  said  of  the  words  of  the  Lord  that  are  found  in  this  book  : 
"  More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine  gold  ; 
sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honey  comb." 

But  the  Bible  is  not  only  a  beautiful  book  for  children,  but  it  is  an 
interesting  book.  You  like  to  read  it  and  hear  it,  partly  because  it  tells 
so  much  about  children,  boys  and  girls  like  you.  You  read  in  this  book 
about  two  brothers,  one  of  whom  loved  God,  and  the  other  did  net  love 
his  brother,  and  slew  him  because  his  own  deeds  were  evil  and  his 
brother's  righteous.  You  read  about  a  little  girl  who  was  taken  off  in 
a  certain  war,  and  became  a  servant  for  the  wife  of  a  great  general. 
He  was  a  leper,  and  this  little  girl,  believing  in  God  and  in  God's  prophet, 
Elisha,  told  her  mistress  that  the  prophet  in  Israel  could  heal  her  master 
of  his  awful  disease.  You  read  the  story  of  a  little  boy  whose  mother 
gave  him  early  to  the  Lord,  and  who  went  to  live  with  an  old  man  in  a 
great  tent,  which  was  God's  house,  and  who  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
calling  to  him  in  the  night.  Did  you  never  hear  God's  voice  speaking 
to  your  heart,  and  do  you  always  answer  as  did  this  boy  in  the  taber- 
nacle at  Shiloh  :  "Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth  "  ? 

And  in  this  Book  you  have  read  of  four  boys  in  the  court  of  the  great 
king  of  Babylon  who  would  not  defile  themselves  with  the  rich  meats 
and  the  fiery  wines,  and  who  formed  a  boys'  temperance  society  in  the 


court  of  the  king,  and  who  rose  to  high  honor  and  great  fame.  Above 
all,  you  read  of  the  perfect  Child  who  was  obedient  to  his  earthly  father 
and  mother,  and  who  did  the  will  of  his  Heavenly  Father,  and  who  grew 
into  the  bravest,  noblest,  truest,  most  manly  man  that  ever  lived,  and  who 
died  for  us  all  —  that  Man  whose  words  are,  I  think,  the  first  words  of  the 
Bible  that  you  learned  by  heart.  I  have  heard  of  a  little  girl  who  lived 
where  the  Bible  is  not  permitted  to  be  read  by  the  children.  But  she  had 
a  present  of  the  good  Book  from  her  Sunday  School  teacher.  It  was 
discovered  that  she  had  this  book ;  it  was  snatched  from  her  and  thrown 
into  the  fire.  She  watched  it  burn,  while  the  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks, 
and  turning  sadly  away,  said  :  "Thank  God,  there  are  fourteen  chapters 
of  the  Gospel  of  John  which  they  can't  burn  up,  for  I  have  committed 
them,  to  memory." 

The  Bible  interests  you  because  it  is  full  at  wonderful  things.  It  tells 
of  a  wonderful  God  who  doeth  marvelous  things  for  His  people.  It  tells 
of  the  flood  which  swept  away  the  wicked  world  ;  of  the  plagues  which 
fell  on  wicked  Egypt ;  of  the  march  of  two  millions  of  people  through  the 
Red  Sea  which  God  divided  ;  it  tells  you  of  the  wonderful  life  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  in  the  desert,  with  God's  hand  feeding  them  with  the  birds 
and  the  bread  ;  it  leads  you  to  the  foot  of  a  great  mountain,  on  which 
God  came  down  in  a  chariot  of  fire,  while  the  thunders  roared  and  the 
trumpet  blown  by  some  mighty  angel  sounded  loud  and  long,  and  the 
mountain  shook  and  smoked  like  a  great  furnace,  and  all  the  people  trem- 
bled while  God  gave  the  law  which  begins  :  "  I  am  the  Lord  that  brought 
thee  out  of  Egypt.  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." 

This  Bible  has  more  wonderful  things  than  you  will  find  anywhere 
else.  It  tells  of  great  battles,  of  the  sun  and  moon  standing  still,  of  cities 
falling  down  at  the  blowing  of  trumpets  ;  of  fire  descending  from  heaven  ; 
it  tells  of  shipwrecks  and  storms,  and  cruel  kings,  and  men  willing  to  die 
for  the  name  of  Jesus.  It  tells  of  God's  wonderful  love,  and  how  the  Son 
of  God  came  from  heaven  to  earth  and  died  for  us  on  the  Cross  and  rose 
from  the  grave.  And  the  best  thing,  children,  about  all  these  Bible  won- 
ders, is  this,  that  they  are  true.  A  wonderful  God  doeth  wonderful  things. 


This  is  a  wonderful  world  we  live  in.  You  children  know  it  and  feel  it, 
and  some  older  people  have  got  to  become  much  wiser  than  they  now  are 
to  be  as  wise  as  you  are.  Is  not  the  Bible  an  interesting  Book  ?  My 
children  will  listen  longer  to  the  story  of  the  Bible  than  anything  else. 
And  as  you  grow  older,  if  you  will  only  keep  on  studying  the  Bible,  it  will 
keep  its  interest  till  you  die. 

Children  who  live  in  cities  love  to  ride,  in  summer,  in  the  parks  and 
see  the  wonderful  figures  which  the  gardeners  have  made  with  their  plants 
and  flowers,  the  stars  and  stripes,  an  elephant,  the  ball-player,  a  giraffe, 
a  sun-dial,  a  calendar,  an  obelisk,  sphinxes,  and  so  forth.  Now,  this  book 
is  a  great  garden  on  which  God  has  made  figures  that  will  last  as  long 
as  the  world  lasts.  There  is  Adam,  with  his  face  dark  and  sorrowful  be- 
cause he  had  sinned  ;  there  is  Abel,  looking  up  to  that  heaven  which  he, 
first  of  all  men,  entered  ;  there  is  Noah,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  who 
preached  many  years  without  converting  a  soul,  but  kept  on  believing 
God  ;  there  is  Abraham  with  a  staff  in  his  hand  ;  there  is  Moses  holding 
the  wondrous  rod  and  the  book  of  the  law  ;  there  is  David  with  his  harp  ; 
there  is  Paul,  going  forth  to  preach  Christ ;  there  is  John,  looking  into 
heaven.  The  children  who  have  the  Bible  taught  them  will  find  great 
interest  in  these  figures.  But  the  greatest  interest  in  the  Bible  is  this, 
that  it  is  a  sign-board  pointing  us  to  our  Father's  house  in  Heaven. 

Now,  I  come  to  the  third  letter.  The  B-I-^?-L-E- — is  not  only  a 
Beautiful  book,  and  an  Interesting  book,  but  it  is  a  Blessed  book.  That 
is,  it  makes  people  happy  and  good,  good  and  happy.  A  poor  man  comes 
from  England  to  Chicago  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  expecting  to 
get  work  and  to  make  him  a  lovely  home.  But  he  fails  to  get  work  and 
he  has  to  sell  many  things  to  get  bread  for  his  family.  At  last  he  is  in 
despair,  but  a  good  man  comes  to  his  house,  learns  of  his  need,  gives  him 
bread  and  gets  him  work  ;  and  that  night  the  Englishman  says  to  his  wife, 
"  Wasn't  he  a  blessed  man  to  help  us  at  this  time  ? "  But  in  a  few  days 
the  baby  of  the  house  is  taken  sick  and  soon  dies,  and  the  good  man 
comes  again  and  advances  money  to  pay  for  the  funeral  of  the  dear  little 
child  ;  and  they  say,  "  Blessed  man  !  "  again.  But  that  night,  when  all  is 


over,  and  the  baby  is  laid  to  sleep  in  the  cemetery,  the  poor  man  takes 
down  the  Bible  and  reads  to  his  wife  of  Christ's  love  to  children,  and  of 
the  beautiful  world  beyond,  where  there  is  no  more  crying  and  death,  and 
the  wife  says,  "  Oh,  isn't  that  a  blessed  Book !  " 

Blessed  Book.  So  the  mother  thinks  whose  boy  has  gone  off  to 
school  or  to  sea.  How  careful  she  was  to  put  a  copy  of  the  Bible  in  his 
hands  and  to  get  from  him  the  promise  to  read  it  every  day.  She  knows 
perfectly  well  that  no  great  harm  can  come  to  him,  if  he  reads  and  obeys 
what  is  written  in  the  Word  of  God.  I  know  a  young  lady  who  was  very 
much  distressed  when  in  Paris  several  years  ago  because  her  hand-bag,  a 
little  portmanteau,  had  been  lost.  And  when,  after  much  hunting,  it  was 
found,  she  confessed  that  what  distressed  her  most  of  all  in  the  thought 
of  losing  her  hand-bag  was  this,  that  it  contained  the  little  Bible  which 
had  been  given  to  her  when  a  child  and  which  she  had  made  her  daily 
companion  ever  since.  I  hope  that  each  of  you  owns  a  Bible  which,  the 
gift  of  a  mother  or  of  some  dear  friend,  is  growing  more  and  more  blessed 
to  you  as  you  go  forward  into  your  lives.  There  is  much  darkness  in  the 
future.  You  will  have  sorrows  as  well  as  joys.  The  clouds  will  gather. 
The  shadows  will  sometimes  descend  and  you  will  wonder  where  you  are 
to  walk,  or  what  you  are  to  do.  But  remember  what  David  has  said  of 
this  blessed  Book:  "Thy  word  is  a  lamp  to  my  feet  and  a  guide  to  my 
path." 

Now,  we  come  to  the  fourth  letter,  B-I-B-Z-E.  Beautiful,  Interest- 
ing, Blessed,  L,  Life-giving.  This  is  something  better  than  anything  we 
have  yet  said  to  you  about  the  Bible.  It  gives  life  to  those  who  are  dead. 
You  have  seen  a  patch  of  ground  early  in  the  spring  on  which  nothing 
was  growing.  But  the  rain  falls,  and  the  warm  sunshine  pours  down,  and 
the  seeds  in  that  soil  burst  into  life  and  spring  up  and  cover  the  earth  with 
living  plants  and  flowers.  And  so  God's  Word  brings  its  dew  and  sunshine 
on  our  cold,  dead  hearts,  and  the  flowers  of  love,  hope,  peace  and  joy  spring 
up.  The  Bible  is  like  bread,  like  the  manna  which  came  to  the  children  of 
Israel  in  the  desert.  It  feeds  our  souls.  It  gives  us  life.  How  does  it  give 
us  life  ?  It  teaches  us  about  God  and  his  great  love  in  Jesus,  and  when  we 


come  to  get  from  Him  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins,  when  we  come  to  know 
God  and  love  God  and  trust  in  God,  we  have  life.  "  This  is  life  eternal," 
said  Jesus,  "  that  they  may  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  thou  hast  sent."  Some  of  you  are  giving  money  to  send  this  Book 
to  the  heathen  people.  Where  this  Book  goes  it  gives  life  like  bread  sent 
to  people  who  are  starving. 

But  why  do  we  need  the  Bible  to  know  about  God  ?  Do  not  the 
stars  and  the  sun  and  the  earth  tell  us  that  there  must  be  a  God  who  made 
all  these  wonderful  things  and  rules  them  ?  Yes,  they  tell  us  that  God 
is  powerful,  that  He  is  very  great,  but  they  do  not  tell  us  that  he  loves  us 
poor  sinners.  The  Egyptians  believed  in  God ;  yes,  in  many  gods. 
They  were,  as  we  know,  a  very  wise  and  learned  people.  And  yet  this 
people  Moses  found  bowing  down  and  worshiping  cats  and  crocodiles  and 
beetles.  They  did  not  know  the  one  God  who  led  His  people,  and  who 
said,  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me,"  and  who  is  not  only 
holy,  but  merciful,  forgiving  our  sins.  Suppose  that  you  were  on  an  ocean 
steamer  way  out  at  sea,  and  she  was  sinking  into  the  waves.  To  what 
or  to  whom  would  you  pray  ?  You  wouldn't  pray  to  the  waves.  They 
would  not  have  mercy  on  you.  You  wouldn't  pray  to  the  stars.  They 
wouldn't  have  mercy  on  you.  You  would  pray  to  the  God  who  is  revealed 
in  this  Book,  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  said 
that  nothing  can  take  us  from  His  love,  neither  life  nor  death,  land  nor 
ocean,  nothing  can  separate  us  from  His  love. 

Children,  this  Book  tells  us  one  thing  which  all  need  to  learn,  and 
that  is,  how  we  may  gain  life  eternal,  how  we  rnay  escape  from  death. 
This  Book  is  the  story  of  God's  love.  It  is  the  story  of  Jesus,  our  Savior. 
He  that  has  Christ  in  his  heart  has  life.  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life,"  said  Jesus;  "I  am  the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life."  If  this  Book 
does  not  lead  you  to  Christ,  you  have  failed  to  get  from  it  what  God  gave 
it  for.  David  said  of  the  Bible:  "The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  con- 
verting the  soul." 

We  come  now  to  the  fifth  letter,  B-I-B-L-^ — Everlasting.  The 
Bible  is  Beautiful,  Interesting,  Blessed,  Life-giving,  and  Everlasting.  It 


is  something  that  does  not  wear  out.  "  The  word  of  the  Lord  endureth 
forever."  Children's  clothes  wear  out,  as  you  well  know.  Your  play- 
things break ;  your  shoes  don't  last ;  your  books  get  torn  ;  these  bodies 
die ;  but  the  Bible  lasts.  It  was  good  in  David's  time.  It  was  good 
when  Christ  was  a  child,  and  He  read  it.  It  was  good  in  Paul's  time,  and 
he  added  to  it.  It  was  good  when  Martin  Luther  translated  it  into  the 
German  language,  and  William  Tyndale  translated  it  into  English.  It 
lasts  the  way  an  oak  tree  lasts,  that  grows  bigger  and  bigger  and  sends 
out  little  shoots  that  grow  into  other  oaks  and  make  a  mighty  forest. 
This  Bible  is  now  speaking  to  men  in  nearly  three  hundred  different  lan- 
guages. It  is  going  to  be  the  one  Book  of  the  world.  A  hundred  years 
ago  a  famous  infidel  in  France,  named  Voltaire,  foolishly  published  his 
opinion  that  the  religion  of  the  Bible  would  soon  die  out,  but  to-day  men 
are  using  Voltaire's  printing-press  in  Geneva  to  publish  this  grand  old 
Book.  Here  is  something,  children,  that  is  going  to  last.  You  can  stand 
on  it  safely.  God  is  in  it  When  the  little  girl  whose  father  was  an  infi- 
del and  whose  mother  was  a  Christian  was  dying,  and  she  said  to  her 
father,  "  Shall  I  hold  to  your  principles,  father,  or  shall  I  turn  now  to  my 
mother's  God  ?  "  the  father  said  :  "  Believe  in  your  mother's  God." 

Just  before  beginning  a  great  battle  on  the  sea,  you  remember  that 
Admiral  Nelson  hung  out  a  flag  with  these  words  for  all  to  see  :  "  England 
expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty."  And  so  our  great  General,  the  Cap- 
tain of  our  salvation,  expects  that  every  boy  trained  up  in  a  Christian 
church  will  do  his  duty.  He  expects  that  you  will  take  this  Beautiful, 
Interesting,  Blessed,  Life-giving  and  Eternal  book  and  make  it  your  guide, 
your  compass,  your  rudder,  your  chart  on  the  great  ocean  of  life.  He 
expects  that  you  will  be  true  men  and  women,  honest,  pure,  obedient  to 
God,  loving  your  country  and  all  the  world.  He  expects  that  you  will 
be  faithful  to  duty,  that  you  will  be  clean  in  body  and  in  lips  and  mouth 
and  eyes  and  heart.  He  expects  to  meet  you  and  welcome  you  all  in 
glory  above. 

A  passenger  on  one  of  our  ocean  steamers  found  an  old  friend  in  the 
captain.  They  talked  about  one  of  their  old  classmates  in  school.  Said 


the  passenger :  "  I  could  never  understand  why  Will  did  not  succeed. 
He  left  college  well  educated,  full  of  life  and  health,  well-to-do.  He  gave 
up  the  ministry  which  he  had  intended  to  enter,  having  fallen  in  with  some 
free-thinking  fellows.  He  studied  law,  but  gave  that  up  and  went  to 
farming.  He  became  a  skeptic.  He  left  his  wife  and  farming  and  became 
a  gold-seeker  in  California.  He  left  this  and  went  to  Idaho.  He  had  lost 
everything,  and  supported  himself  by  odd  jobs.  I  knew  him  there.  He 
was  not  a  drunkard  or  a  gambler,  but  he  had  never  succeeded.  He  tried 
something  new  several  times  a  year.  He  was  now  almost  mad  in  his  op- 
position to  the  religion  of  the  Bible.  Soon  he  died,  bitterly  rebelling 
against  God.  It  is  wonderful  that  such  a  man  should  ever  have  come  to 
such  an  end." 

The  captain  was  silent  for  a  while,  but  at  last  said :  "  Old  sailors 
have  a  superstition  that  there  are  phantom  ships  (that  is,  ghosts  of  ships) 
which  cross  the  sea.  I  saw  a  vessel  once  that  showed  me  how  this  idea 
may  have  sprung  up.  It  was  a  full-rigged  bark,  driving  under  full  sail. 
There  was  no  one  on  board.  Some  disease  may  have  broken  out,  and 
all  the  sailors  had  left.  I  could  not  capture  her,  though  I  tried.  Several 
months  later  I  passed  her  again.  Her  topmast  was  gone  ;  her  sails  were 
in  rags  ;  the  wind  drove  her  where  it  would.  A  year  later  she  came  in 
sight  one  stormy  winter  night.  She  was  a  shattered  hulk  and  went  down 
at  last  in  the  darkness  and  storm.  She  was  a  good  ship  at  first,  but," 
added  the  captain,  "  she  had  lost  her  rudder."  Boys  and  girls,  young 
men  and  women,  I  pray  you,  on  this  voyage  of  life,  not  to  lose  the  rudder 
by  which,  in  the  storm,  you  may  hold  the  ship  true  to  the  harbor. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   I. 

PAGE 

GOD  MADE  THE  WORLD, 23 

CHAPTER   II. 
THE  GREAT  FLOOD  ;  AND  A  GREAT  TOW-ER,    ...         ,         „  43 

CHAPTER   III. 

A-BRA-HAM  :     THE    MAN    OF    FAITH, 52 

CHAPTER   IV. 
JA-COB  AND  E-SAU, 64 

CHAPTER   V. 
JA-COB  AND  RA-CHEL,         .......         .          71 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Jo-SEPH    AND    HIS    BRETH-REN, 76 

CHAPTER   VII. 

THROUGH  THE  RED  SEA  AND  THE  WIL-DER-NESS,     .        .         .  91 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

HOW    JOSH-U-A    AND    JEPH-THAH    FOUGHT    FOR    THE    LORD,  .  112 

CHAPTER    IX. 
SAM-SON,  THE  STRONG  MAN, 118 


Contents. 
CHAPTER    X. 

PAGE 

RUTH,         .......<•««         128 

CHAPTER   XL 
JOB, .  .         132 

CHAPTER    XII. 
SAM-U-EL,  THE  CHILD  OF  GOD,          .         .         .         .         t         .         139 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

SAM-U-EL,  THE  MAN  OF  GOD,    .         .         .  .         „         .         147 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
DA-VID  AND  SAUL, .157 

CHAPTER   XV. 

SOL-O-MON,    THE    WlSE    MAN,         .  .  .  .  •  «  «  177 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

E-LI-JAH, 183 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

E-LI-SHA 192 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Jo-NAH,    THE    MAN    WHO    TRIED    TO    HlDE    FROM    GOD,  .  .  2OO 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
DAN-I-EL,  ........  204 

CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  GOOD  QUEEN  ES-THER,      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         217 


NEW   TESTAMENT. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAGE- 

THE  BIRTH  OF  CHRIST,          .......         235 

CHAPTER    II. 
THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST,        .......         244 

CHAPTER    III. 
THE  BOY-HOOD  OF  JE-SUS,  .          .          .         .         .         .         251 

CHAPTER    IV. 
JE-SUS  AND  JOHN  THE  BAP-TIST,  .          .         .         .         .         256 

CHAPTER    V. 

THE    WO-MAN   AT    THE    WELL  JE-SUS    BY    THE    SEA,         .  .  267 

CHAPTER   VI. 
JE-SUS  HEALS  THE    SICK,  AND   DOES    GOOD  WORK  ON  THE  DAY 

OF  REST,          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         276 

CHAPTER   VII. 
THE  SER-MON  ON  THE  MOUNT,  .....         286 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
GOOD  WORDS  AND  GOOD  WORKS,          .....         295 

CHAPTER    IX. 
JE-SUS  AT  THE    SEA-SHORE,  ......         303 

CHAPTER   X. 
JE-SUS  BRINGS  THE  DEAD  TO  LIFE. — FEEDS  FIVE  THOU-SAND,       311 


Contents. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER   XL 
JE-SUS  HEALS  THE  SICK. — His  FORM  CHANGED  ON  THE  MOUNT,  320 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE    GOOD    SA-MAR-I-TAN. — MAR-THA  AND   MARY. — THE   MAN 

BORN  BLIND,  ,  327 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
JE-SUS  THE  GOOD  SHEP-HERD. — LAZ-A-RUS  BROUGHT  TO  LIFE. — 

THE  FEAST  AND  THOSE  WHO  WERE  BID  TO  IT,        .         .         337 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
THE  PROD-I-GAL  SON. — THE  PHAR-I-SEE  AND  THE  PUB-LI-CAN. — 

BABES  BROUGHT  TO  JE-SUS. — ZAC-CHEUS  CLIMBS  A  TREE,      346 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PASS-OVER. — THE  SUP-PER  AT  BETH-A-NY,      353 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
PAR-A-BLES  OF  OUR  LORD,  ......         362 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  LORD'S  SUP-PER. — JE-SUS  IN  GETH-SEM-A-NE. — THE  JU-DAS 

Kiss. — PE-TER  DE-NIES  JE-SUS,       .         .         .          .          .         375 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 
CHRIST  BE-FORE  PI-LATE. — CHRIST  ON  THE  CROSS,       .         .         382 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

JE-SUS    LEAVES   THE    GRAVE. — AP-PEARS   TO  MA-RY. — STE-PHEN 

STONED. — PAUL'S  LIFE,  SHIP-WRECK  AND  DEATH,  .         395 

CHAPTER   XX. 
WHAT  JOHN  SAW  WHILE  ON  THE  ISLE  OF  PAT-MOS. — THE  GREAT 

WHITE  THRONE. — THE  LAND  OF  LIGHT,        .         .         .         412 


History  of  the  Old  Testament 


CHAPTER  I. 

GOD    MADE    THE    WORLD. 

FAR  back  in  the  past,  more  years  than  you  could 
think  or  count,  God  made  the  world.  It  did  not  look 
at  first  as  it  does  now,  for  there  was  no  live  thing  on 
it,  no  men,  beasts,  or  birds,  not  a  bush,  tree  or  plant, 
but  all  was  dark  and  drear. 

Then  God  said,  Let  there  be  light!  And  the 
light  came.  And  God  saw  the  light,  and  it  pleased 
him,  and  he  gave  it  the  name  of  Day.  And  when 
the  day  was  gone,  and  the  dark  came  back  to  stay 
for  a  while,  he  gave  the  dark  spell  the  name  of  Night. 
And  God  did  these  things  on  the  first  day. 

The  next  day  God  made  the  clouds,  and  the 
sky  in  which  they  were  to  move;  and  he  gave  the 
sky  a  name;  he  called  it  Heav-en. 

Then  he  drove  the  wa-ters  to  one  place  where 
they  were  both  deep  and  wide,  and  he  called  the  wa- 
ters Seas,  and  to  the  dry  land  he  gave  the  name  of 

33 


34  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Earth.  And  God  made  the  grass  to  grow  up  out  of 
the  earth,  and  the  trees  and  shrubs  that  have  fruit  on 
them.  And  the  grass  and  the  shrubs  and  the  trees 
were  to  bear  seeds,  so  that  when  these  seeds  were  put 
in-to  the  ground  more  grass  and  trees  and  shrubs  would 
grow  there.  God  did  these  things  on  the  third  day. 

And  God  put  two  great  lights  in  the  sky,  the  Sun 
to  shine  by  day,  and  the  Moon  to  shine  by  night ; 
and  he  made  the  stars,  and  put  each  one  in  its  place. 
And  these  things  he  did  on  the  fourth  day. 

And  he  made  the  great  whales,  and  all  the  fish 
that  live  in  the  sea,  and  the  birds  that  swim  on  it,  as 
well  as  those  that  fly  through  the  air,  and  make  their 
nests  in  the  deep  woods.  And  these  things  God  did 
on  the  fifth  day. 

God  made  the  beasts:  those  that  are  wild  and 
live  in  the  deep,  dark  woods,  far  from  the  homes  of 
men ;  and  those  that  are  tame  and  of  use  to  men, 
and  live  where  men  live — such  as  the  horse,  the  cow, 
the  ox  and  the, sheep.  And  he  made  the  things  that 
creep  on  the  ground,  and  flies  and  bugs  that  course 
through  the  air. 

And  then  God  made  Man,  and  told  him  that  he 
should  rule  the  fish  of  the  sea,  the  birds  of  the  air, 
and  all  else  that  lived  on  the  earth.  And  he  told 
man  that  the  fruit  which  grew  on  the  trees  and  shrubs 
should  be  his  food,  while  the  beasts  were  to  feed  on 


AU-AM   AND  EVE  DRIV-EN   FROM   PAR.A-DISE. 


35 


36  History    of  the  Old  Testament. 

the  leaves,  and  on  the.  grass  that  was  spread  out  on 
the  earth.     These  things  were  done  on  the  sixth  day. 

The  next  day  God  did  no  work  at  all,  but  made 
it  a  day  of  rest. 

God  made  man  out  of  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and 
breathed  in  him  till  the  man  breathed  and  moved, 
and  showed  signs  of  life.  Then  God  made  a  gar-den 
for  man  to  live  in,  where  all  sorts  of  trees  grew  that 
were  nice  to  look  at,  and  that  bore  fruit  good  to  eat. 
And  this  place  was  called  E-den.  And  through  it 
flowed  a  large  stream  that  kept  the  earth  moist 

And  God  took  Ad-am,  the  man  he  had  made, 
and  put  him  in  the  gar-den,  and  told  him  to  take  care 
of  it.  He  told  him  he  might  eat  of  the  fruit  that 
grew  on  all  the  trees  but  one.  God  said  he  must 
not  eat  of  that  tree,  for  if  he  did  he  would  be  sure  to 
die.  And  all  the  birds  and  beasts  came  to  Adam, 
that  he  might  give  them  their  names.  And  the 
names  he  gave  them  are  those  by  which  they  are 
known  to  this  day. 

And  God  saw  it  was  not  good  for  man  to  be 
a-lone ;  he  should  have  some  one  to  be  with  him  and 
help  him.  So  he  had  a  deep  sleep  fall  on  Ad-am, 
and  while  he  slept  God  took  out  of  his  side  a  bone, 
and  out  of  this  bone  he  made  a  wo-man.  Then  he 
brought  this  wo-man  he  had  made  to  Ad-am,  and 
she  was  his  wife. 


God  Made  the   World.  37 

Now  there  was  in  this  gar-den  of  E-den  a  great 
big  snake.  And  this  snake  spoke  to  the  wo-man — 
as  Sa-tan  speaks  to  us — to  tempt  her  to  sin. 

The  snake  said:  Has  God  told  you  not  to  eat  of 
all  the  trees  in  the  gar-den  ? 

And  the  wo-man  said  that  they  might  eat  of  all 
but  one ;  if  they  ate  of  that  or  touched  it  they  would 
be  sure  to  die.  The  snake  told  them  they  should 
not  die,  and  that  God  did  not  wish  them  to  eat  of  it 
for  fear  they  would  grow  wise,  and  know  more  than 
he  thought  was  good  for  them. 

The  wo-man  heard  what  the  snake  said,  and  when 
she  saw  that  the  tree  was  nice  to  look  at  and  the  fruit 
seemed  good  to  eat,  she  gave  no  thought  to  what 
God  had  said,  but  took  some  of  the  fruit  and  ate  of  it ; 
she  gave  some  to  the  man,  Ad-am,  and  he  did  eat. 

In  a  short  time  they  heard  a  voice,  and  knew  that 
God  spoke  to  them.  Yet  they  did  not  come  near 
him  when  they  heard  his  voice,  but  ran  and  tried  to 
hide  from  him. 

But  God  spoke  once  more,  and  said  to  the  man, 
Where  art  thou  ? 

And  Ad-am  said,  I  heard  thy  voice,  and  my  fear 
was  so  great  that  I  hid  from  thee. 

And  God  said,  Did'st  thou  eat  of  the  tree  I  told 
thee  not  to  eat  of? 

And  the  man  said,  She  whom  thou  dids't  give 


38  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

me  to  be  with  me  brought  me  some  of  the  fruit,  and 
I  did  eat. 

And  God  said  to  the  man's  wife,  What  is  this 
that  thou  hast  done? 

And  she  told  God  what  the  snake  had  said,  and 
how  she  came  to  eat  of  the  fruit,  and  God  was  wroth 
with  them  all.  He  said  the  snake  should  crawl  on 
the  ground  and  eat  dust  all  the  days  of  its  life ;  and 
he  told  the  wife  she  should  know  what  it  was  to  be 
sick  and  sad,  and  should  have  much  grief  and  care. 

And  God  drove  the  man  and  his  wife  out  of 
E-den,  and  would  let  them  live  no  more  in  that  fair 
place.  And  he  sent  an-gels  to  keep  watch,  and  a 
sword  of  fire  that  would  turn  in  all  ways,  so  that  the 
two  whom  God  for  their  sins  drove  out  of  E-den 
could  not  get  back  to  the  home  they  had  lost. 

And  God  told  Ad-am  that  as  he  had  paid  heed 
to  what  his  wife  said,  and  did  eat  of  the  tree  which 
the  Lord  had  told  him  not  to  eat  of,  the  ground 
should  bear  no  more  fruit  for  him  by  it-self,  as  it  had 
done  up  to  this  time,  and  Ad-am  would  have  to  work 
hard  all  his  life  to  raise  food  to  eat,  and  when  he  died  he 
would  go  back  to  the  dust  out  of  which  he  was  made. 

But  God  told  Ad-am  and  his  wife  that  there  was 
a  way  by  which  their  souls  might  live  on  high  when 
their  flesh  was  laid  in  the  ground.  He  said  he 
would  send  One  from  the  sky  who  would  give  his 
life  for  theirs :  that  is,  he  would  be  put  to  death  for 


God  Made  the   World. 


39 


their  sins.  Then  if  they  would  turn  from  their  sins, 
and  give  their  hearts  to  the  One  who  was  to  save 
them,  God 
would  not  turn 
his  face  from 
them,  but  when 
they  died  they 
would  have  a 
home  with  him, 
and  have  no 
thought  of  sin. 
So  Ad-am 
went  forth  to 
till  the  land, 
and  he  gave  his 
wife  the  name 
of  Eve.  And 
they  made 
coats  out  of  the 
skins  of  beasts. 
Ad-am  and 
his  wife  had 
two  sons :  Cain 
and  A-bel. 
When  they 
grew  up  to  be  men,  Cain,  who  was  the  first-born,  took 
care  of  a  farm ;  A-bel  kept  a  flock  of  sheep. 


CAIN   AND   A-BEL   OF-FER-ING   SAC-RI-FJ-CES  TO  GOD. 


40  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

They  both  had  bad  hearts,  and  at  times  would  be 
led  in-to  sin,  just  as  Ad-am  and  his  wife  had  been. 
But  when  A-bel  did  wrong  he  was  grieved,  and 
sought  to  make  peace  with  God.  One  day  he  brought 
a  lamb  from  his  flock,  and  killed  it,  and  burnt  it  on 
a  heap  of  stones.  And  the  smoke  went  up  on  high. 

This  act  of  A-bel's  pleased  God,  for  it  was  the 
sign  that  a  Lamb  was  to  be  sent  to  the  world  to  save 
men  from  their  sins. 

But  Cain  kept  on  in  his  sins,  and  paid  his  vows 
to  God  not  with  a  lamb,  but  with  fruit  or  grain  out 
of  the  field.  This  did  not  please  God,  and  the 
smoke  went  not  up  on  high.  When  Cain  saw  this 
he  was  in  a  rage,  and  showed  by  his  looks  that  he 
was  wroth  with  God.  Yet  God  spoke  to  him  in  a 
kind  voice,  and  said,  Why  art  thou  wroth  ?  and  why 
art  thou  so  cast  down  ? 

If  Cain  did  right  God  told  him  he  would  be 
pleased  with  his  gift ;  but  if  he  did  not  do  right,  the 
fault  was  his  own. 

Then  Cain  was  wroth  with  A-bel,  for  he  saw  that 
God  was  pleased  with  A-bel's  gift  and  not  with  his. 
And  one  day  when  both  of  them  were  out  in  the 
field  he  rose  up  and  slew  A-bel,  and  the  blood  ran 
out  of  A-bel's  wounds  and  sank  deep  in  the  ground. 

As  soon  as  this  deed  was  done,  God  spoke  to 
Cain,  and  said  :  Where  is  A-bel? 


God  Made  the   World. 


in  my  care, 
and  knew  just 


Cain  said,  I  know  not.     He  is  not 
Then  God,  who  had  seen  the  crime, 
how  bad  his  heart  was,  said  to  Cain  :   What  hast 
thou     done? 
The  voice  of  A- 
bel's  blood  cries 
to  me  from  out 
the  ground." 

And  God 
told  Cain  that 
for  his  great  sin 
he  should  move 
from  place  to 
place,  as  one 
who  was  in  fear 
of  his  life,  and 
had  no  home  to 
stay  in.  And 
if  he  should 
plant  aught  in 
the  field  to  bear 
food,  it  should 
not  grow  well. 
Weeds  would  come  up  and  choke  it,  or  it  would  bear 
leaves  and  no  fruit,  so  that  Cain  would  not  have 
much  to  eat. 

And  Cain  said  if  God  drove  him  here  and  there 


THE  DEATH  OF  A-BEL. 


42  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  would  not  take  care  of 
him,  all  those  who  met  him  would  want  to  kill  him. 

But  God  said  the  man  who  hurt  Cain  would  have 
a  worse  fate.  God  set  a  mark  on  Cain ;  what  kind 
of  a  mark  it  was  we  are  not  told,  but  those  who  saw 
it  would  know  it  was  Cain,  and  it  would  bring  to 
their  minds  chat  God  had  said  no  man  should  kill  him. 

Ad-am  lived  to  be  an  old,  old  man,  and  had  a 
large  flock  of  chil-dren,  who  grew  up  and  were  wed, 
and  they  went  off  and  made  homes,  and  day  by  day 
were  folks  born  in-to  the  world.  When  Ad-am  died 
he  was  laid  in  the  ground  and  went  back  to  dust,  as 
God  had  said  he  should  when  he  wrent  out  of  E-den. 

One  of  the  men  who  lived  in  those  days  was 
named  E-noch.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he  walked 
with  God.  That  means  that  he  loved  God,  and 
thought  of  him,  and  kept  near  him  all  the  time,  and 
did  his  best  to  please  him. 

And  E-noch  did  not  die,  but  God  took  him  up 
to  be  with  him  while  he  still  lived,  just  as  if  he  were 
to  take  up  one  of  us. 

And  E-noch  had  a  son  whose  name  was  Me-thu- 
se-lah,  who  died  at  a  great  old  age.  In  those  times 
men  lived  more  years  than  they  do  now,  but  in  all 
the  years  since  the  world  was  made  no  man  has  been 
known  to  live  to  be  as  old  as  Me-thu-se-lah. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  GREAT  FLOOD;  AND  A  GREAT  TOWER. 

IN  the  course  of  time,  when  there  came  to  be 
more  folks  in  the  world,  they  grew  fond  of  sin. 
They  did  not  love 
God,  or  try  to  please 
him.  And  God  was 
wroth  with  them,  and 
said  he  would  send 
a  flood  that  would 
drown  the  world, 
and  there  should 
not  be  any  dry  land 
left  for  men,  beasts, 
or  birds  to  live  on. 

But  though  most 
of  the  folks  at  that 
time  were  as  bad  as 
they  could  be,  there 
was  one  good  man 
in  their  midst,  and 
his  name  was  No-ah. 

And  God  loved  No-ah  and  told  him  what  he 
meant  to  do.     And  God  bade   No-ah  build  an  ark. 

43 


THE  ARK. 


44  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

This  was  a  boat.  It  was  to  be  made  large,  with 
rooms  in  it,  and  a  great  door  on  its  side.  And  it 
was  to  be  quite  high,  and  to  have  a  roof  on  top. 

And  God  told  No-ah  when  the  ark  was  done  he 
and  his  sons  and  their  wives  should  go  in  it. 

And  he  told  No-ah  to  take  in  with  him  two  of 
each  kind  of  bird  and  of  beast,  and  of  bug,  and  of 
things  that  crept,  and  to  take  care  of  them  in  the  ark 
so  long  as  the  flood  should  be  on  the  earth ;  for  all 
that  were  not  in  the  ark  would  be  sure  to  be  drowned. 

So  No-ah  set  out  at  once  to  build  the  ark;  and 
it  took  him  a  great  while  to  build  it.  When  not  at 
work  on  the  ark,  he  would  talk  of  God,  and  of  his 
plan  to  send  a  flood  to  wash  sin  out  of  the  world,  and 
would  urge  the  folks  to  give  up  their  sins,  and  lead 
good  lives.  But  they  paid  no  heed  to  his  words, 
and  went  from  bad  to  worse  all  the  time  that  No-ah 
was  at  work  on  the  ark. 

When  it  was  done  God  told  No-ah  to  come  in-to 
the  ark,  for  he  saw  he  was  a  good  man  who  had 
done  his  best  to  serve  him,  and  to  bring  the  birds 
and  beasts  with  him.  For  in  a  few  days  he  would 
send  the  rain  on  the  earth,  and  all  that  was  left  on  it 
would  be  drowned. 

So  No-ah  did  as  God  told  him.  And  when  he 
and  his  wife,  and  his  three  sons  and  their  wives,  and 
the  birds  and  the  beasts,  both  small  and  great,  had 


46  History  of  the  Old   Testament. 

passed  through  the  great  door  of  the  ark,  God  shut 
them  in. 

At  the  end  of  a  week  the  rain  set  in,  and  did  not 
stop  for  more  than  a  month.  The  rain  seemed  to 
pour  out  of  the  sky,  and  all  the  springs,  the  large  and 
small  streams,  and  the  great  seas,  rose  up  and  swept 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  They 
came  to  where  the  ark  was,  and  went  round  and 
round  it,  and  rose  so  high  that  the  ark  was  borne 
from  its  place  and  set  a-float  on  the  great  wide  sea. 

Then  those  who  had  paid  no  heed  to  No-ah,  but 
had  kept  on  in  their  sins,  were  in  a  sad  plight.  The 
flood  had  come,  and  they  knew  now  that  all  that  he 
had  told  them  was  true.  How  glad  they  would 
have  been  to  go  with  him  in  the  ark.  But  it  was  too 
late.  They  ran  in  wild  haste  to  the  tops  of  the  hills 
in  hopes  to  find  there  a  safe  place.  But  still  the 
floods  rose  and  rose  till  there  was  no  place  for  them 
to  go,  and  all  those  not  in  the  ark  were  drowned, 
and  there  was  not  a  bit  of  dry  land  in  the  whole  wide 
world. 

But  God  took  care  of  No-ah,  and  those  who  were 
with  him,  and  kept  them  safe  till  the  floods  went 
down.  At  the  end  of  five  months  the  sea  had  gone 
down  so  much  that  the  ark  stood  high  and  dry  on  a 
mount  known  as  Ar-a-rat  It  stood  there  for  at 
least  two  months,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the 


The  Great  Flood ;  and  a   Great    Tower. 


47 


sea  had  gone  down  so  that  tops  of  high  hills  could 
be  seen  here  and  there. 

And  No-ah  sent  forth  a  ra-ven,  and  the  bird  flew 
this    way  and    that, 
but  came  not  back 
to  the  ark. 

Then  No-ah 
sent  forth  a  dove, 
that  he  might  find 
out  if  the  ground  was 
yet  dry.  And  the 
dove  flew  here  and 
there  in  search  of 
green  things,  but 
found  not  a  tree  in 
sight,  and  naught 
but  cold  hard  rock, 
and  so  she  flew  back 
to  the  ark  and  No-ah 
put  out  his  hand  and 
took  her  in. 

At  the  end  of  a 
week  No-ah  sent  out 
the  dove  once  more,  and   at   the  close  of  the  day 
she  came  back  with  a  leaf  in  her  mouth. 

As  soon  as  No-ah  saw  the  leaf  he  knew  that  the 
waves  had  gone  down  or  the  dove  could  not  have 


THE  RE-TURN  OF  THE  DOVE. 


48  History  of  the  Jld  Testament. 

found  it.  And  he  knew  that  God  had  sent  the  dove 
back  to  him  that  he  might  know  the  ground  would 
soon  be  dry. 

In  a  few  days  he  sent  the  dove  out  for  the  third 
time,  but  she  did  not  come  back;  and  No-ah  was 
sure  then  that  the  ground  was  dry,  and  that  God 
meant  that  for  a  sign  that  he  should  leave  the  ark  in 
which  he  had  been  shut  up  so  long. 

And  God  spoke  to  No-ah  and  told  him  to  come 
out  of  the  ark,  and  to  bring  out  all  that  had  been  in 
there  with  him.  And  No-ah  did  so,  and  he  built 
up  a  heap  of  stones  as  A-bel  had  done,  on  which  he 
laid  beasts  and  birds,  and  burnt  them,  which  was  the 
way  in  which  man  gave  thanks  to  God  in  those 
days. 

And  No-ah's  heart  was  full  of  praise  to  God, 
who  had  kept  him,  and  those  who  were  near  and 
dear  to  him,  safe  from  the  flood,  while  all  the  rest  of 
the  world  was  drowned. 

And  God  told  No-ah  and  his  sons  that  they 
should  rule  on  the  earth,  and  might  kill  the  beasts 
and  use  the  flesh  for  food.  Up  to  this  time  those 
who  dwelt  on  the  earth  had  lived  on  the  fruits  of 
trees  and  such  things  as  grew  out  of  the  ground,  and 
did  not  know  the  taste  of  meat. 

And  God  told  No-ah  that  he  would  send  no 
more  floods  to  drown  the  world  as  this  one  had  done. 


The  Great  Flood ;  and  a  Great   Tower. 


49 


And  he  gave   No-ah  a  sign  that  he  would  keep  his 
word,  so  that  when  No-ah  saw  it  he  would  have  no 
fear   of  a  flood. 
And  this  sign 
was    the    rain- 
bow, which  God 
set  up  in  the  sky 
as  a  bow  of  hope 
to  No-ah  and  to 
all  the  world. 

No-ah  lived 
for  years  and 
years  af-ter  the 
flood,  and  died 
at  a  ripe  old  age. 

The  tribes  of 
No-ah  grew  so 
fast  that  the 
world  was  quite 
well  filled  once 
more. 

And  you 
would  think  they 
would  have  been 
glad  to  serve  God,  and  to  do  right  in  his  sight.  But 
their  hearts  were  full  of  sin,  and  they  went  on  as 
those  had  done  who  were  drowned  in  the  flood. 


NO-AH'S    SAC-RI-FICE. 


HE-BREWS,    AND   THEIR    MODE   OK   TK  AV-EL-ING 


The  Great  Flood ;  and  a  Great   Tower 


51 


At  this  time  all  those  who  dwelt  on  the  earth 
spoke  but  one  tongue;  that  is,  they  used  the  same 
kind  of  speech. 

Now  these  tribes  did  not  stay  in  one  spot  all  the 
time,  but  would    pack 
up  their  tents  and  move 
from  place  to  place  as 
they  chose. 

And  as  they  went 
to  the  east  they  came 
to  a  plain  in  the  land  of 
Shi-nar.  And  they 
said,  Let  us  make  brick 
and  build  a  high  tow-er 
that  shall  reach  up  to 
the  sky.  And  let  us 
make  a  name,  so  that 
when  we  go  from  this 
place  it  will  be  known 
what  Igreat  men  were 
here,  and  what  great 
deeds  they  could  do. 

And  they  set  to 
work  to  build  it.  God, 
who  read  their  hearts,  knew  that  sin  was  at  work 
there,  and  that  the  tow-er  they  meant  to  build  was 
not  to  serve  him  in,  or  to  add  to  his  praise.  So  he 


BUILD-ING  THE  TOW-ER  OF  BA-BEL. 


52  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

was  not  pleased  with  their  work,  and  chose  a  strange 
way  to  stop  them.  He  made  them  all  at  once  speak 
in  strange  tongues.  This  one  could  not  tell  what 
that  one  said,  and  they  made  such  a  noise  that  it 
grew  to  be  just  a  ba-bel  of  sound.  And  that  is  why 
it  was  called  the  tow-er  of  Ba-bel. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ABRAHAM  :    THE    MAN    OF    FAITH. 

THERE  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Ur  a  man  whose 
name  was  A-bra-ham.  And  in  that  land  the  men 
did  not  serve  the  true  God,  but  had  set  up  false  gods 
to  whom  they  paid  their  vows. 

And  God  told  A-bra-ham  to  leave  his  home  and 
go  to  a  land  which  he  would  show  him.  A-bra-ham 
did  not  know  where  the  land  was,  but  he  had  great 
faith,  and  knew  that  God  would  take  care  of  him  and 
bring  him  to  the  land  he  had  told  him  of. 

So  A-bra-ham  took  Sa-rah,  his  wife,  and  his 
bro-ther's  son,  whose  name  was  Lot,  and  they  set  out 
for  the  land  which  God  had  said  he  would  show 
him. 

A-bra-ham  was  a  rich  man,  and  so  was  Lot,  and 
they  had  a  great  wealth  of  flocks,  and  of  herds,  and 


Abraham  :  the  Man  of  Faith.  53 

of  tents.  And  they  each  had  a  large  force  of  herds- 
men. And  these  herds-men  were  at  strife. 

And  A-bra-ham  told  Lot  it  was  best  that  they 
should  part ;  and  he  said  to  him,  Choose  where  thou 
shalt  go.  If  thou  wilt  take  the  left  hand  I  will  go  to 
the  right,  and  if  thou  wilt  go  to  the  right  hand  then 
I  will  go  to  the  left. 

So  Lot  looked  round  and  saw  that  the  plain  of 
Jor-dan  was  rich  in  grass,  and  would  be  a  fine  place 
for  him  and  his  herds  to  dwell  in;  so  he  made  his 
choice  at  once,  and  went  to  live  there. 

Two  large  towns  were  on  this  plain,  Sod-om  and 
Go-mor-rah.  The  men  in  Sod-om  were  full  of  sin, 
yet  Lot,  though  a  good  man,  went  to  live  there  that 
he  might  have  a  chance  to  add  to  his  wealth. 

As  soon  as  Lot  had  gone,  the  Lord  told  A-bra- 
ham  that  he  would  give  to  him  and  his  heirs  all  that 
land  as  far  as  he  could  see  it.  And  the  tribe  of 
A-bra-ham  would  be  so  great  that  no  one  could 
count  them. 

Now  Sa-rah  A-bra-ham's  wife,  had  a  hand-maid 
— that  is,  a  maid-of-all-work — whose  name  was  Ha- 
gar;  and  she  came  from  E-gypt.  Ha-gar  did  Sa- 
rah a  great  wrong,  and  Sa-rah  drove  her  from  the 
house,  and  she  fled  to  the  woods. 

An  an-gel  of  the  Lord  found  Ha-gar  there  by  a 
spring  of  wa-ter,  and  said  to  her,  From  whence 


54  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

didst  thou  come?  and  where  wilt  thou  go?  And  she 
said  she  had  fled  from  Sa-rah,  whose  maid  she  was. 

And  the  an-gel  said  she  must  go  back  to  Sa-rah 
and  do  as  she  wished  her  to  do.  And  he  told  Ha- 
gar  she  would  have  a  son  whose  name  would  be 
Ish-ma-el,  and  that  he  would  live  out  of  doors  and  be 
at  strife  with  all  men.  So  Ha-gar  went  back  to  Sa- 
rah, and  in  due  time  God  gave  her  a  son,  who  was 
called  Ish-ma-el. 

When  A-bra-ham  was  an  old  man,  God  told  him 
that  he  and  Sa-rah  should  have  a  son,  who  should 
be  called  I-saac. 

One  day  at  the  hour  of  noon,  when  A-bra-ham 
sat  by  the  door  of  his  tent,  he  looked  up  and  saw 
three  men  quite  near  him.  Then  he  ran  out  to 
meet  them,  and  bowed  his  face  to  the  ground.  And 
A-bra-ham  bade  them  sit  down  and  rest,  and  let 
some  wa-ter  be  brought  that  they  might  wash  their 
feet. 

No  one  in  those  days  wore  such  shoes  as  are 
worn  now.  Some  went  bare-foot,  and  some  wore 
just  a  sole  tied  to  the  foot  with  strings,  which  did 
not  keep  off  the  dust  and  dirt  as  our  shoes  do. 

So  when  one  came  in  from  a  long  walk  the  first 
thing  he  did  was  to  bathe  his  feet,  as  that  gave  rest 
and  ease,  and  when  guests  came  the  bowl  was 
brought  for  their  use. 


Abrak.ir.i :    tke  Man  of  Faith. 


55 


And  A-bra-ham  brought  them  food  to  eat,  and 
stood  by  to  wait  on  them ;  and  when  they  had  had 
their  fill,  went 
with  them  to 
show  them  the 
way. 

In  those 
days  the  Lord 
came  down  on 
the  earth  and 
spoke  with  men, 
and  it  is  thought 
that  one  of  these 
three  was  the 
Lord,  and  the 
two  with  him 
were  an-gels. 

And  the 
Lord  told 
A-bra-ham  that 
he  meant  to  burn 
Sod-om  and  Go- 
mor-rah  for  the 
sins  of  those 
who  dwelt  there.  This  made  A-bra-ham  sad,  and  he 
said  there  might  be  a  few  good  men  there,  and  he 
begged  the  Lord  to  spare  the  towns  for  their  sakes. 


THE   AN-GELS     VIS-IT. 


56  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  Lord  said  he  would  do  so  if  ten  good  men 
could  be  found  there. 

And  the  Lord  left  A-bra-ham  and  he  went  back 
to  his  tent.  At  the  close  of  the  day,  Lot  sat  in  the 
gate  of  Sod-om  and  two  an-gels  came  there.  And  as 
soon  as  Lot  saw  them  he  rose  up  to  meet  them  and 
bowed  down  with  his  face  to  the  ground. 

Then  these  an-gels  told  Lot  to  take  out  of  Sod- 
om all  those  who  were  dear  to  him,  and  flee  in  great 
haste,  as  the  Lord  meant  to4 set  the  place  on  fire. 

They  were  told  not  to  look  back,  but  while  on 
their  way  Lot's  wife  turned  her  head,  which  was  a 
sign  that  her  heart  was  in  Sod-om,  and  she  died 
where  she  stood,  and  turned  to  salt. 

But  Lot  and  his  two  girls  reached  Zo-ar  at  dawn 
of  the  next  day.  Then  the  Lord  rained  fire  on  Sod- 
om and  Go-mor-rah,  and  they  were  burnt  up  in  fierce 
flame,  with  all  that  lived  there,  and  all  that  grew  out 
of  the  ground. 

In  due  time  God  gave  A-bra-ham  the  son  he  had 
said  he  should  have. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  as  soon  as  it  could  eat, 
A-bra-ham  made  a  great  feast.  And  at  this  feast 
Sa-rah  saw  that  Ha-gar's  son,  Ish-ma-el,  made  fun 
of  her  boy,  and  she  begged  A-bra-ham  to  cast  him 
out.  A-bra-ham  did  not  wish  to  do  this,  but  God 
spoke  to  him  and  told  him  to  do  as  Sa-rah  had  said, 


Abraham  :  the  Man  of  Faith. 


57 


for  I-saac  was  to  be  the  true  heir.  So  the  next  day 
A-bra-ham  gave  food  and  drink  to  Ha-gar  and  sent 
her  and  her  child  out  of  his  house. 

And  Ha- 
gar  took  her 
boy  and  went 
to  the  waste 
lands  of  Beer- 
she-ba. 

And  when 
there  was 
nought  for  the 
child  to  drink, 
he  grew  weak, 
and  was  like 
to  die.  And 
Ha-gar  laid 
him  'neath  a 
bush  and  went 
off  and  sat 
down  and  hid 
her  face,  and 
wept,  for  she 
loved  her  boy 
very  much  and  did  not  want  to  see  him  die. 

And  a  voice  spoke  to  Ha-gar  out  of  the  sky,  and 
said,    What  ails   thee,    Ha-gar?    Fear  not,  for   God 


DE-STRUC-TION   OF  THE   CIT-IES   OF  THE   PLAIN. 


58  History  of   the  Old  Testament. 

hath  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad  where  he  is.      Rise, 
lift  up  the  lad  and  hold  him  in  thine  arms. 

And  the  voice  told  her  that  her  son  should  be 
the  head  of  a  great  tribe.  And  as  she  raised  her 
eyes  she  saw  a  well  of  wa-ter,  and  she  ran  to  it  and 
gave  her  son  a  drink  and  he  was  soon  strong  and 
well  once  more. 

And  God  was  kind  to  Ish-ma-el,  and  he  grew, 
and  made  his  home  in  the  woods,  and  came  to  have 
great  skill  with  the  bow. 

Now  it  was  God's  wish  to  try  the  faith  of  A-bra- 
ham  to  him. 

And  he  told  him  to  take  his  son,  I-saac,  and  go 
to  the  land  of  Mo-riah,  and  lay  him  on  the  al-tar  he 
was  to  build  on  one  of  the  mounts  there.  It  was 
not  a  hard  task  to  kill  a  lamb,  and  to  burn  it  so  that 
the  smoke  of  it  should  rise  up  to  God,  like  praise 
from  the  hearts  of  men.  But  how  could  A-bra-ham 
take  his  own  dear  son,  I-saac,  and  lay  him  on  the 
wood,  and  let  him  be  burnt  up  like  a  lamb  ? 

Yet  God  told  him  to  do  it,  and  A-bra-ham  knew 
that  it  was  safe  for  him  to  do  as  God  said. 

So  he  rose  the  next  day  and  took  two  of  his 
young  men  with  him,  and  I-saac  his  son,  and  cut  the 
wood  the  right  length,  and  set  out  for  the  mount  of 
which  God  had  told  him. 

And  as  they  drew  near   the  place  he  took  the 


59 


60  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

wood  from  the  ass  and.  laid  it  on  I-saac's  back,  and 
took  the  fire  in  his  hand  and  a  knife,  and  the  two 
went  up  the  mount. 

Now  I-saac  did  not  know  what  the  Lord  had 
told  A-braham  to  do,  nor  why  his  fa-ther  took  him 
up  to  the  mount.  And  he  said,  Here  is  the  fire  and 
the  wood,  but  where  is  the  lamb? 

And  A-bra-ham  said,  My  son,  God  will  give  us 
the  lamb  we  need. 

And  when  they  came  to  the  place,  A-bra-ham 
piled  up  the  stones  and  put  the  wood  on  them,  and 
bound  I-saac  and  laid  him  on  the  wood. 

Then  he  drew  forth  the  knife  to  kill  his  son. 
And  just  then  a  voice  from  the  sky  cried  out,  A-bra- 
ham  !  A-bra^ham  !  And  A-bra-ham  said,  Here  am  I. 

And  the  Lord  told  him  to  do  no  harm  to  I-saac, 
for  now  he  knew  that  A-bra-ham  loved  him,  since  he 
would  not  spare  his  own  dear  son  if  it  was  God's 
wish  that  he  should  give  him  up. 

And  as  A-bra-ham  turned  his  head  he  saw  a  ram 
that  was  caught  in  a  bush,  and  he  took  the  ram  and 
laid  it  on  the  wood,  and  burnt  it  in-stead  of  his  son. 

At  the  end  of  a  few  years  A-bra-ham  went  to  live 
at  Heb-ron.  And  Sa-rah  died  there. 

When  I-saac  grew  up  to  be  a  man,  A-bra-ham 
did  not  wish  him  to  take  a  wife  from  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan where  they  served  strange  gods. 


Abraham  :    the  Man  of  Faith. 


61 


So  he  sent  one  of  his  men  to  the  land  where  he 
used  to  live  to  bring  back  a  wife  for  I-saac. 

And  as  he  drew  near  to  a  large  town  in  that 
land  he  made  his  cam- 
els kneel  down  by  a 
well.  And  it  was  the 
time  of  day  when  the 
wo-men  of  the  place 
went  out  to  draw  wa- 
ter from  the  well. 

And  the  man 
whom  A-bra-ham  had 
sent,  asked  God  to 
help  him,  and  to  let 
him  know  which  one 
of  them  was  to  be 
I-saac's  wife.  And 
he  said  he  would  ask 
one  of  them  for  a 
drink,  and  if  she  was 
kind  and  gave  him  a 
drink,  and  let  his 
cam-els  quench  their 
thirst,  then  he  should 
know  that  she  was  the  one  God  chose  to  be  the  wife 
of  A-bra-ham's  son. 

And  he  raised    his  heart  to  God  and   said,  O 


RE-BEK-AH    AT    THE    WELL. 


6 2  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

Lord  God  of  A-bra-ham,  give  me  good  speed  this 
day. 

And  while  he  yet  spoke  a  fair  young  maid  named 
Re-bek-ah  went  down  to  the  well  and  came  up  with 
the  jar  she  had  filled.  And  the  man  ran  to  meet 
her,  and  said  to  her,  Let  me  drink,  I  pray  thee. 

And  she  said,  Drink,  my  Lord,  and  held  the  jar 
in  her  hand  so  that  he  could  drink  with  ease. 

Then  she  said,  I  will  give  thy  cam-els  a  drink; 
and  she  went  down  to  the  well  and  drew  for  all  the 
cam-els.  And  the  man  stood  still,  and  was  yet 
in  doubt  if  this  was  the  maid  whom  God  chose  to  be 
I-saac's  wife. 

And  as  soon  as  the  cam-els  had  drunk  their  fill, 
the  man  took  a  gold  ear-ring,  and  two  bands  of  gold 
for  the  wrists,  and  gave  them  to  Re-bek-ah.  And 
he  said,  Whose  child  art  thou  ?  tell  me,  I  pray 
thee.  And  is  there  room  in  thy  sire's  house  for  us 
to  lodge  in  ? 

The  maid  said  that  her  sire's  name  was  Beth- 
u-el,  and  that  there  was  no  lack  of  straw  and  food, 
and  there  was  room  in  the  house  where  he  and  his 
men  might  lodge. 

The  man  was  glad  when  he  heard  this,  for  he 
knew  the  Lord  had  led  him,  and  had  brought  him 
to  the  house  to  which  he  was  sent.  And  he  bowed 
his  head  and  gave  thanks, 


RE-BEK-AK    JOUR-NEY-ING   TO    I-SAAC. 


64  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

The  next  day  Re-bek-ah  and  her  maids  went 
with  A-bra-ham's  head  man.  And  they  came  to  the 
land  of  Ca-naan. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  I-saac  went  to  walk  in  the 
fields,  and  as  he  raised  his  eyes  he  saw  the  cam-els 
on  their  way  home,  and  he  went  out  to  meet  them. 

Re-bek-ah  said  to  the  man  with  whom  she  rode, 
What  man  is  this  that  comes  through  the  field  to 
meet  us? 

And  the  man  told  her  that  it  was  A-bra-ham's 
son,  I -saac, 

Then  the  maid  drew  her  veil  round  her  so  as  to 
hide  her  face,  and  came  down  from  the  cam-el.  And 
I-saac  took  her  to  his  house  and  made  her  his  wife. 
And  A-bra-ham  gave  all  that  he  had  to  I-saac;  and 
when  he  died  he  was  laid  by  the  side  of  Sa-rah,  his 
wife,  in  the  tomb  he  had  bought  at  Mach-pe-lah. 

And  to  this  day  no  one  has  had  such  faith  or 
trust  in  God  as  did  A-bra-ham. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

JA-COB    AND    E-SAU. 

I-SAAC   and    Re-bek-ah    had    two    sons.        Their 
names  were  Ja-cob  and  E-sau.      E-sau  was  the  first- 


THE   MEET-1NU   OF    I-SAAC    AND    RE-BEK-AH. 


66  History  of  tlie   Old  Testament. 

born,  and  in  those  days  the  first-born  son  had  what 
was  called  the  birth-right.  This  made  him  chief  of 
all  the  rest,  and  heir  to  the  most  of  his  sire's  wealth. 

When  the  boys  grew  up  to  be  men,  E-sau  took 
to  the  fields  and  to  out-door  sports,  while  Ja-cob 
was  a  plain  man  and  dwelt  in  tents.  And  I-saac 
was  fond  of  E-sau,  who  killed  the  deer,  and  brought 
him  the  meat  to  eat.  But  Re-bek-ah  was  more  fond 
of  Ja-cob. 

One  day  Ja-cob  had  made  some  food  called  pot- 
tage, and  E-sau  came  in  from  the  field  and  said, 
Feed  me,  I  pray  thee,  with  that  pot-tage,  for  I  am 
faint. 

And  Ja-cob  said,  Sell  me  thy  birth-right. 

And  E-sau  said,  I  am  at  the  point  of  death,  so 
what  good  will  a  birth-right  do  me  ? 

So  he  sold  his  birth-right  to  Ja-cob — which  was 
a  wrong  thing  for  him  to  do — and  took  the  bread 
and  meat,  and  ate  and  drank,  and  then  went  on  his 
way. 

Now  there  came  a  time  when  I-saac  was  an  old 
man,  and  his  eyes  were  dim,  for  he  had  not  long  to 
live.  And  he  called  E-sau  to  his  bed-side  and  told 
him  to  go  out  with  his  bow  and  shoot  a  deer  and  bring 
him  some  of  the  meat  he  was  so  fond  of,  that  he 
might  eat  it  and  bless  E-sau  ere  he  died. 

And   Re-bek-ah  heard  what   I-saac  had  said  to 


Jacob  a;;d  Esau. 


67 


E-sau,  and  she  told  it  to  Ja-cob.  And  she  said  to 
him,  Go  now  to  the  flock,  and  fetch  me  from  thence 
two  good  kids,  and  I  will  make  such  a  dish  as  thy 
fa-ther  loves.  And 
thou  shalt  bring  it  to 
him  that  he  may  eat, 
and  that  he  may  bless 
thee  ere  his  death. 

So  Ja-cob  did  as 
he  was  told,  and 
brought  the  kids  to  his 
mo-ther  that  she 
might  cook  them  in 
a  way  that  would 
please  the  good  man 
of  the  house. 

Then  Re-bek-ah 
put  some  of  E-sau's 
clothes  on  Ja-cob,  and 
put  the  skins  of  goats 
on  his  hands,  for 
E-sau's  hands  had  on 
them  a  thick  coat  of 
hair.  And  then  Ja-cob  took  the  meat  and  the 
bread  and  went  in  to  his  fa-ther. 

And  I-saacsaid,  Who  art  thou,  my  son? 

And  Ja-cob  said,    I    am    E-sau,  thy    first-born. 


I-SAAC    SPEAK-1NG    TO    E-SAU. 


68  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Rise,  I  pray  thee,  and  eat  of  the  deer's  meat  I  have 
brought,  that  thy  soul  may  bless  me. 

And  I-saac  said  to  Ja-cob,  How  is  it  that  thou 
hast  found  it  so  soon,  my  son  ? 

And  he  said,  The  Lord  thy  God  brought  it  to  me. 

And  I-saac  said  to  Ja-cob,  Come  near,  I  pray 
thee,  that  I  may  feel  thee,  my  son,  and  know  if  thou 
be  my  son  E-sau  or  not.  And  Ja-cob  went  near  to 
his  fa-ther  and  he  felt  him,  and  said,  The  voice  is 
Ja-cob's  voice,  but  the  hands  are  the  hands  of  E-sau. 

And  he  said,  Art  thou  in  truth  my  son   E-sau  ? 

And  Ja-cob  said,  I  am. 

And  he  said,  Bring  near  the  food,  and  I  will  eat, 
that  my  soul  may  bless  thee. 

And  Ja-cob  brought  it  near  to  him,  and  he  did 
eat,  and  he  brought  him  wine  and  he  drank. 

And  his  fa-ther  said  to  him,  Come  near  now,  and 
kiss  me,  my  son. 

And  he  came  near,  and  gave  him  the  kiss.  Then 
the  old  man  asked  God  to  bless  this  whom  he 
thought  was  his  first-born,  and  make  him  great,  and 
give  him  all  good  things. 

Ja-cob  was  scarce  yet  gone  out  from  his  fa-ther 
when  E-sau  came  in  from  the  hunt.  And  he 
brought  in  a  nice  dish  of  meat,  and  said,  Let  my  fa- 
ther rise  and  eat  of  the  flesh  of  the  deer,  that  thy 
soul  may  bless  me. 


Jacob  and  Esau. 


69 


And  I-saac  said,  Who  art  thou? 

And  he  said,  I  am  thy  son,  thy  first-born,  E-sau. 

And  I-saac  shook  like  a  leaf,  and  said,  Who? 
Where  is  he  that  took  deer's  meat  and  brought  it  to 
me  so  that  I  did  eat  ere 
this,  and  bless  him? 
Yea,  and  he  shall  be 
blest. 

When  E-sau  heard 
these  words  he  cried  out 
with  great  grief,  and  said 
to  his  fa-ther,  Bless  me 
too,  O  my  fa-ther! 

But  I-saac  said  that 
he  could  not  take  from 
Ja-cob  what  was  now 
his — though  he  had  won 
it  through  fraud. 

And  E-sau  said  in 
his  heart,  My  fa-ther  will 
soon  be  dead,  and  then 
I  will  kill  Ja-cob.  JA.COB,S  DREAM. 

And   these  words 

were  told  to  Re-bek-ah,  and  she  sent  for  Ja-cob  and 
said  to  him  that  E-sau  meant  to  kill  him,  and  he 
must  leave  home  at  once  and  go  and  stay  with  her 
bro-ther  La-ban  till  E-sau's  wrath  had  cooled. 


70  History  of  the  Old   Testament. 

And   Ja-cob  went   out    from    Beer-shc-ba. 

And  as  he  went  on  his  way  he  came  to  a  place 
where  he  thought  he  would  he  down  and  rest.  The 
sun  was  set,  the  day  had  been  a  long  one,  and  he 
was  quite  worn  out.  So  he  put  some  stones  for  his 
head  to  rest  on,  and  was  soon  sound  a-sleep. 

And  while  he  slept  he  had  a  strange  dream.  He 
saw  a  flight  of  steps  that  stood  on  the  ground,  the  top 
of  which  was  far,  far  up  in  the  sky.  And  bright  an- 
gels went  up  and  down  the  steps.  And  the  Lord 
stood  at  the  top,  and  said,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will 
take  care  of  thee,  and  will  bring  thee  back  to  this 
land,  for  I  will  not  leave  thee  till  I  have  done  that 
which  I  have  told  thee  of. 

And  Ja-cob  woke  out  of  his  sleep,  and  said,  'Tis 
true  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not. 

And  he  was  in  great  fear,  and  said,  This  is  the 
house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heav-en ! 

Then  he  rose  up  and  took  the  stone  on  which 
his  head  had  lain  and  set  it  up  on  end,  and  he 
poured  oil  on  top  of  it.  And  he  gave  to  that  place 
the  name  of  Beth-el,  and  made  a  vow  to  love  and 
serve  God  all  the  rest  of  his  life. 

And  though  he  had  done  wrong,  God  for-gave 
him,  and  he  was  known  as  a  great  and  good  man. 


CHAPTER  V. 


JACOB  AND   RACHEL. 

As  Ja-cob  went  on  his  way  to  the  East  he  came 
to  a  well  that  was  out 
in  the  field,  near  which 
lay  three  great  flocks 
of  sheep.  And  there 
was  a  great  stone  on 
top  of  the  well.  And 
the  men  who  took  care 
of  the  flocks  would  roll 
the  stone  from  the 
mouth  of  the  well,  and 
give  drink  to  the  sheep. 
Then  they  would  roll 
the  stone  back  to  the 
mouth  of  the  well. 

Ja-cob  said  to  the 
men,  Whence  do  ye 
come? 

And  they  told  him. 

And  he  said,  Know 
ye  La-ban,  the  son  of 
Na-hor? 


RA-CHEL   AND   JA-COB   AT  THE   WELL. 


And  they  said,  We  know  him. 

71 


7 2  History  of  the  Old  Testament, 

And  he  said,  Is  he  well? 

And  they  said,  He  is  well.  And  there  is  one  of 
his  girls  now,  Ra-chel,  and  she  comes  this  way  with 
her  sheep. 

While  Ja-cob  yet  spake  with  the  men,  Ra-chel 
came  up  with  the  sheep  that  she  took  care  of.  And 
when  Ja-cob  saw  her,  he  came  near,  and  drew  the 
stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  well,  and  gave  drink  to 
the  whole  of  her  flock. 

And  as  soon  as  he  told  her  that  he  was  Re-bek- 
ah's  son,  she  ran  home  with  the  news. 

And  when  La-ban  heard  that  his  sis-ter's  son  was 
near,  he  ran  out  to  meet  him,  and  threw  his  arms 
round  his  neck  and  kissed  him,  and  brought  him 
to  his  house. 

And  Ja-cob  dwelt  there  for  the  space  of  a  month. 

And  La-ban  said  to  Ja-cob,  Thou  art  bone  of  my 
bone  and  flesh  of  my  flesh,  but  it  is  not  right  for  thee 
to  serve  me  for  nought.  Tell  me  how  much  I  shall 
pay  thee? 

Now  La-ban  had  two  girls — Le-ah  and  Ra-chel. 
And  Ja-cob  was  in  love  with  Ra-chel;  and  he  said 
to  La-ban,  I  will  serve  thee  seven  years  if  thou  wilt 
give  me  Ra-chel  for  a  wife. 

And  La-ban  said  it  would  please  him  to  have 
Ja-cob  for  a  son-in-law,  and  Ja-cob  served  sev-en  years 
for  Ra-chel,  and  they  seemed  to  him  but  a  few  days, 


Jacob  and  Rachel.  73 

so  great  was  his  love  for  her.  And  at  the  end  of 
that  time  Ja-cob  said  to  La-ban,  Give  me  my  wife, 
for  I  have  served  thee  my  full  time. 

And  La-ban  made  a  feast,  and  brought  in  Le-ah 
to  be  Ja-cob's  wife.  In  those  days  the  bride  wore  a 
veil,  and  the  man  she  wed  could  not  look  on  her  face 
till  the  next  day. 

So  Ja-cob  did  not  find  out  this  trick  till  the  next 
morn,  and  then  he  came  in  great  wrath  to  La-ban 
and  said,  What  is  this  thou  hast  done  to  us?  Did  I 
not  serve  with  thee  for  Ra-chel  ?  and  why  did'st  thou 
cheat  me  ? 

And  La-ban  said,  In  our  land  the  first-born  must 
wed  the  first.  Serve  me  sev-en  years  more,  and  thou 
shalt  have  Ra-chel  for  a  wife.  And  Ja-cob  did  so, 
and  though  he  dwelt  with  both — which  was  thought 
to  be  no  sin  in  those  days — he  was  far  more  fond  of 
Ra-chel  than  he  was  of  Le-ah. 

Le-ah  bore  Ja-cob  a  host  of  sons,  but  it  was  years 
ere  Ra-chel  had  a  child.  And  this  made  her  sad. 
But  at  last  she  had  a  son,  and  she  called  his  name 
Jo-seph.  And  as  soon  as  Jo-seph  was  born  Ja-cob 
told  La-ban  to  give  him  his  wives  and  all  the  goods 
that  he  owned,  and  let  him  go  back  to  the  land  he 
came  from. 

But  La-ban  begged  him  to  stay.  He  had  found, 
he  said,  that  the  Lord  had  blest  him  for  Ja-cob's 


74  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

sake,  and  he  might  have  some  of  the  land  and  the 
flocks  if  he  would  still  serve  him. 

So  Ja-cob  took  care  of  La-ban's  flocks,  and  had 
sheep  and  goats  of  his  own,  and  things  went  well 
for  a  time. 

But  one  day  Ja-cob  heard  La-ban's  sons  say  some 
hard  things  of  him,  and  he  saw  that  La-ban  did  not 
give  him  the  kind  looks  that  he  used  to.  And  he 
felt  that  the  time  had  come  for  them  to  part.  And 
the  Lord  told  Ja-cob  to  go  back  to  the  land  he  came 
from,  and  he  would  deal  well  with  him.  And  Ja- 
cob took  his  wives,  and  the  flocks  and  the  goods  he 
owned,  and  set  out  for  the  land  of  Ca-naan. 

Ja-cob  sent  one  of  his  men  to  K-sau  to  say  that 
he  was  on  his  way  home,  and  was  in  hopes  he  would 
find  grace  in  his  sight. 

And  the  man  brought  back  word  that  E-sau  was 
on  his  way  to  meet  Ja-cob  with  a  large  force  of  men. 
And  Ja-cob  thought  of  the  wrongs  he  had  done  his 
broth-er,  and  was  in  great  fear  of  him. 

He  sought  the  help  of  God,  and  God  told  him 
what  to  do.  And  Ja-cob  sent  great  droves  of  sheep 
and  goats,  and  ewes  and  rams,  and  camels  and  colts, 
and  cows,  and  choice  ones  from  all  his  live  stock,  as 
a  gift  to  E-sau. 

And  at  night,  when  no  one  else  was  near,  a  man 
whose  face  shone  with  a  strange  light,  came  to  Ja- 


Jacob  and  Rachel. 


75 


cob  and  wound  his  arms  round  him  and  tried  to 
throw  him.  And  the  two  strove  so  hard  that 
Ja-cob's  thigh  was  put  out  of  joint. 

And  as  it  grew 
light  the  man  said,  Let 
me  go,  for  the  day 
breaks. 

Ja-cob  said,  I  will 
not  let  thee  go  till  thou 
hast  blest  me. 

And  the  man  said, 
What  is  thy  name? 
And  he  said,  Ja-cob. 

And  he  said  Thy 
name  shall  be  no  more 
Ja-cob  but  Is-ra-el,  for 
as  a  prince  thou  hast 
pow-er  with  God  and 
with  men. 

And  when  he  had 
blest  Ja-cob  he  went 
his  way.  And  Ja-cob 
gave  the  place  the  name 
of  Pe-ni-el,  for,  said  he, 
I  have  seen  God  face  to  face  and  my  life  has  been 
spared.  For  Ja-cob  knew  by  this  that  E-sau  would 
not  kill  him. 


THE  MEET-ING   OF  JA-COB  AND   E-SAU. 


76  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

When  Ja-cob  was  an  old,  old  man  Ra-chel  bore 
him  a  son;  and  they  called  his  name  Ben-ja-min. 
And  Ra-chel  died.  And  it  was  hard  for  Ja-cob  to 
have  her  die  and  leave  him,  for  his  love  for  her  was 
great,  and  she  was  a  good  wife  to  him. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JOSEPH    AND    HIS    BRETHREN. 

JA-COB  had  twelve  sons,  and  he  was  more  fond  of 
Jo-seph  than  of  all  the  rest;  for  he  was  the  child  of 
his  old  age.  And  he  gave  him  a  fine  coat,  and  made 
a  great  pet  of  him.  This  did  not  please  the  rest  of 
the  sons,  and  they  showed  their  hate  of  Jo-seph  in 
all  sorts  of  ways. 

One  night  Jo-seph  had  a  strange  dream,  and  he 
told  it  to  Le-vi,  Sim-e-on,  and  the  rest,  and  it  made 
them  hate  him  all  the  more. 

He  said,  As  we  bound  sheaves  in  the  field,  lo, 
my  sheaf  rose  and  stood  up  straight.  And  your 

sheaves  stood  round,  and  bowed  to  my  sheaf. 

j 

And  those  who  heard  him  said,  Shalt  thou  in- 
deed reign  o'er  us?  And  his  words  and  his  deeds1 
filled  them  with  a  fierce  hate. 

And  it  was  not  long  ere  he  told  them  of  a  fresh 


Joseph  and  kis  Brethren. 


77 


dream  he  had  had,  in  which  he  saw  the  sun  and 
moon  and  c-lev-en  stars  bow  down  to  him.  And  he 
told  it  to  Ja-cob, 
and  his  e-lev-en 
sons. 

And  Ja-cob 
took  him  to  task, 
and  said  to  him, 
What  does  this 
dream  mean  ?  Are 
all  of  us  to  bow 
down  to  the  earth 
to  thee?  And  he 
made  up  his  mind 
to  watch  these 
signs,  which  might 
be  sent  of  God. 

Now  J  a-cob 
had  large  flocks 
of  sheep  and  goats 
at  Shech-em,  and 
all  of  his  sons  but 
Jo-seph  had  gone 

J  T  1        1  JO-SEPH  S     DREAM. 

there  to  feed  them. 

And  Ja-cob  said  to  Jo-seph,  Go  and  see  if  it  be  well 
with  thy  brethren,  and  with  the  flocks,  and  bring  me 
back  word. 


7  8  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

And  Jo-seph  went  out  from  the  vale  of  Heb-ron 
to  the  land  of  Shech-em. 

When  he  came  there  he  found  that  his  broth-crs 
had  gone  on  to  Do-than.  And  Ja-cob  went  to  Do- 
than  and  found  them.  And  as  soon  as  he  came  in 


SHECH-EM,    THE    FIRST   CAI'-I-TAL    OF    THE    KING-DOM    OF    1S-KAEL. 

sight  they  thought  of  a  way  in  which  they  might  get 
rid  of  him. 

Come,  let  us  kill  him,  they  said;  and  throw  him 
in-to  a  pit,  and  say  that  a  wild  beast  ate  him  up. 
Then  we  shall  see  what  will  be-come  of  his  dreams. 

But  Reu-ben  heard  it,  and  saved  him  out  of  their 
hands.  And  he  said,  Let  us  not  kill  the  lad.  Shed 
no  blood;  but  cast  him  Jn-to  this  pit,  and  lay  no  hand 


Joseph  and  his  Brethren. 


79 


on  him.      For  he  meant  to  take  him  out  of  the  pit, 
and  bear  him  home  to  his  fath-er. 

But  when  Jo-seph  came  near  these  men  who 
should  have  been  kind 
to  him,  they  took  off  his 
coat  and  threw  him  in-to 
the  pit,  which  was  dry, 
or  he  would  have 
drowned.  These  old 
dry  wells  were  left  as 
traps  in  which  to  catch 
the  wild  beasts  that 
prowled  round  in  the 
dead  of  night,  and  well 
these  bad  men  knew 
what  would  be  Jo-seph's 
fate. 

As  they  sat  down  to 
eat,  they  looked  up  and 
saw  a  lot  of  men  and 
cam-els  on  their  way  to 
E-gypt,  with  spices,  and 
balm  and  myrrh. 

And  Ju-dah — one  of  Ja-cob's  sons — said,  Let  us 
not  kill  the  lad,  for  he  is  of  our  own  flesh,  but  let  us 
sell  him  to  these  men.  And  the  rest  thought  it  was 
a  good  scheme.  So  they  drew  Jo-seph  up  out  of  the 


JO-SEPH    SOLD    BY    HIS    BROTH-ERS. 


8o  History  of  tJic  Old  Testament. 

pit  and  sold  him  for  a  small  sum,   and  those  who 
bought  the  lad  took  him  down  with  them  to  E-gypt. 

And  the  bad  men  took  Jo-seph's  coat  and  dipped 
it  in  the  blood  of  a  kid  they  had  slain.  And  they 
brought  it  to  Ja-cob,  and  said,  This  have  we  found. 
Is  it  thy  son's  coat? 

And  Ja-cob  knew  it  at  once,  and  said,  It  is  my 
son's  coat.  Jo-seph  has  no  doubt  been  the  prey  of 
some  wild  beast.  And  his  grief  was  great. 

The  men  who  bought  Jo-seph  brought  him  down 
to  E-gypt  and  sold  him  to  Pot-i-phar  for  a  slave. 

And  the  Lord  was  with  Jo-seph,  who  served  Pot- 
i-phar  so  well,  that  the  rich  man  put  him  in  charge  of 
his  home  and  lands.  But  Pot-i-phar's  wife  told  false 
tales,  and  Jo-seph,  who  had  done  no  wrong,  was  thrust 
in-to  jail.  Pha-ra-oh  was  then  king  of  E-gypt.  And 
it  came  to  pass  that  he  fell  out  with  his  but-ler  and 
chief  cook,  and  had  them  shut  up  in  the  same  place 
where  Jo-seph  was  bound. 

And  the  man  on  guard  put  them  in  charge  of  Jo- 
seph, who  went  in  and  out  of  the  ward  as  he  chose. 
And  one  morn  when  he  came  in  to  them  he  saw  they 
were  sad,  and  asked  them  why  it  was. 

And  they  said,  We  have  dreamed  dreams,  and 
there  is  no  one  to  tell  us  what  they  mean. 

And  Jo-seph   said,  Tell   me  them,  I    pray   you. 

And  the  chief  but-ler  told  his  dream   to  Jo-seph 


Joseph  and  his  Brethren. 


81 


first.  And  he  said,  In  my  dream  I  saw  a  vine,  that  put 
forth  three  branch-es  and  brought  forth  ripe  grapes. 

And  Jo-seph  said  to  him,  In  three  days  shall 
Pha-ra-oh  lift 
up  thine  head, 
and  put  thee 
back  in  thy 
place,  and  thou 
shalt  serve  him 
as  of  old.  But 
think  of  me 
when  it  shall 
be  well  with 
thee ;  speak  of 
me  to  the  king, 
and  bring  me 
out  of  this  house. 

And  the 
but-ler  said  that 
he  would. 

Then  the 
chief  cook  told 

1    •         i  1  JOSEPH'S  COAT. 

his  dream;  and 

he  said,  In  my  dream  I  had  three  white  bas-kets  on 
my  head.  And  in  the  top  one  were  all  sorts  of  bake 
meats  for  the  king.  And  the  birds  did  eat  out  of 
the  bas-ket  that  I  bore  on  my  head. 


82  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

And  Joseph  said  to  him,  In  three  days  shall 
Pha-ra-oh  lift  up  thy  head  and  hang  thee  on  a  tree ; 
and  the  birds  shall  eat  the  flesh  from  thy  bones. 

The  third  day  was  the  king's  birth-day,  and  he 
made  a  great  feast.  And  he  put  the  chief  but-ler 
back  in  his  place,  and  hung  the  chief  cook;  just  as 
Jo-seph  had  said  he  would  do.  But  the  chief  but-ler 
gave  not  a  thought  to  Jo-seph,  nor  spoke  one  good 
word  for  him  to  the  king,  as  he  had  said  he  would. 

Two  years  from  this  time  the  king  had  a  dream, 
from  which  he  woke,  and  then  fell  asleep  and  dreamt 
the  self-same  dream.  This  was  such  a  strange  thing 
that  it  made  the  king  feel  ill  at  ease.  And  he  sent 
for  all  the  wise  men  in  the  land  to  tell  him  what  these 
dreams  meant. 

Then  the  chief  but-ler  spoke  to  the  king,  and  said 
that  when  he  and  the  cook  were  in  jail,  there  was  a 
young  man  there,  a  Jew,  whom  the  chief  of  the  guard 
made  much  use  of.  And  we  told  him  our  dreams, 
and  he  told  us  what  they  meant.  And  it  came  out 
just  as  he  said. 

Then  the  king  sent  at  once  for  Jo-seph,  and  said 
to  him:  In  my  dream  I  stood  on  the  bank  of  the 
Nile.  And  there  came  up  out  of  the  riv-er  seven  fat 
cows,  and  they  fed  in  a  field  near  by.  Then  sev-en 
lean  cows  came  up  that  were  naught  but  skin  and 
bone.  And  the  lean  cows  ate  up  the  fat  cows.  And 


Joseph  and  his  Brethren* 


»3 


yet  no  one  would  have  known  it,  for  they  were  just 
as  lean  as  when  I  first  saw  them.  Then  I  woke, 
but  soon  fell  a-sleep  once  more. 

Then  I  dreamt,  and  in  my  dream  I  saw  sev-en 
ears  of  corn  come  up  on  one  stalk,  full  and  good. 
And  lo,  sev-en  ears 
that  were  thin  and 
dried  up  with  the  east 
wind  sprang  up  af-ter 
them.  And  the  poor 
ears  ate  up  the  good 
ones. 

Jo-seph  said,  For 
sev-en  years  there  will 
be  no  lack  of  food  in 
the  land,  and  all  will 
go  well ;  and  then  there 
will  come  a  time  of 
great  want,  and  rich 
and  poor  will  be  in 
need  of  food,  and  not 
a  few  will  starve  to 
death.  Let  the  king  choose  a  wise  man  to  see  that 
corn  is  laid  up  in  the  land  when  the  good  years 
bring  the  rich  growth,  so  that  there  will  be  no  lack 
of  food  in  the  years  when  the  crops  are  small. 

And  the  king  said  to  Jo-seph,  Since  God  hath 


FHA-RA-OH'S  DREAM. 


84  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

showed  thee  all  this  there  is  none  so  wise  as  thou 
art.  So  he  put  him  in  charge  of  all  the  lar.  1  of 
E-gypt,  and  he  was  to  rank  next  to  the  king.  And 
the  king  took  a  ring  from  his  own  hand  and  put  it 
on  Jo-seph's  hand,  and  when  he  rode  out,  men  bowed 
the  knee,  and  his  word  was  law  in  all  the  land. 
And  Jo-seph  took  a  wife,  and  he  who  was  brought 
to  E-gypt  a  slave,  was  now  a  rich  man. 

And  there  came  years  when  the  grain  grew  rank 
in  the  fields,  and  the  crops  were  large.  And  Jo-seph 
saw  that  a  large  part  of  it  was  laid  up,  and  that  there 
was  no  waste  of  the  good  food.  For  the  end  of  those 
rich  years  came  and  then  there  was  a  time  of  dearth 
in  all  the  lands,  when  the  earth  would  not  yield,  and 
men  and  beasts  were  in  want  of  food. 

But  there  was  no  lack  of  corn  in  E-gypt.  And 
Jo-seph  sold  the  corn  that  he  had  stored  in  the 
barns,  and  crowds  came  in  to  buy  it. 

When  Ja-cob  heard  that  corn  could  be  bought  in 
E-gypt,  he  told  his  sons  to  go  down  and  buy  some, 
that  they  might  not  starve  to  death. 

And  ten  of  them  went  down  to  buy  corn  in 
E-gypt.  But  Ja-cob  kept  Ben-ja-min  at  home, 
for  fear  he  would  be  lost  to  him  as  Jo-seph  was 
lost. 

When  Ja-cob's  ten  sons  came  to  the  place  where 
Jo-seph  was,  they  bowed  down  to  the  ground.  And 


JOSEPH    AND    HIS    BROTH-ERS. 


86  History  of  tke  Old  Testament. 

Jo-seph  knew  them  at  once,  but  they  did  not  know 
him,  or  give  a  thought  to  his  dreams. 

And  Jo-seph  spoke  in  a  rough  voice,  and  said, 
Whence  come  ye? 

And  they  said,  From  the  land  of  Ca-naan  to  buy 
food. 

And  he  said,  Ye  are  spies,  and  have  come  to  see 
how  poor  the  land  is. 

And  they  said  to  him,  Nay,  my  lord,  but  to  buy 
food  are  we  come.  We  are  all  one  man's  sons ;  and 
we  are  true  men,  and  not  spies. 

But  Jo-seph  would  have  it  that  they  were 
spies. 

And  they  said,  There  were  twelve  of  us,  sons  of 
one  man.  Young  Ben-ja-min  is  at  home  with  his 
fa-ther,  and  one  is  dead. 

And  Jo-seph  said,  Go  prove  that  ye  are  not  spies; 
let  one  of  the  ten  that  are  here  go  and  fetch  the  young 
lad,  Ben-ja-min.  And  he  put  them  in  jail  for  three 
days.  And  he  said,  Let  one  of  you  be  bound,  and 
kept  in  the  guard-house,  while  the  rest  of  you  take 
back  the  corn  that  you  need.  And  they  saiJ  that 
they  would  do  this. 

Then  he  took  Sim-e-on  from  their  midst,  and  had 
him  bound,  and  put  in  the  guard-house. 

And  he  sent  word  to  his  men  to  fill  their  sacks 
with  corn,  and  to  put  back  the  price  in  each  sack,  and 


Joseph  and  his  Brethren. 


87 


to  give  them  food  to  eat  on  the  way.     And  thus  did 
Jo-seph  do  good  to  those  who  did  ill  to  him. 

When  Ja-cob's  nine  sons  went  home  they  told  all 
that  had  been  g^ — ^ ^_^^_1^^-— 
said  and  done 
to  them,  and 
that  the  lord  of 
the  land  bade 
them  bring 
B  e  n  -  j  a  -  m  i  n 
down  to  E-gypt 
or  he  would 
think  they  were 
spies,  and  their 
lives  would  not 
be  safe. 

Ja-cobsaid, 
My  son  shall 
not  go  down 
with  you,  for 
his  broth-er  is 
dead,  and  he  is 
all  I  have  left. 
If  harm  should  come  to  him  on  the  way,  I  should 
die  of  grief. 

When  the  corn  they  had  brought  from  E-gypt 
was  all  gone,  Ja-cob  told  his  sons  to  go  down  and 


THE   MEET-ING   OF  JO-SEPH   AND   BEN-JA-MIN. 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

buy  more.  And  Ju-dah  spoke  up  and  said,  The 
man  swore  we  should  not  see  his  face  if  Ben-ja-min 
was  not  with  us.  If  thou  wilt  send  him  with  us  we 
will  go;  but  if  thou  wilt  not  send  him  we  will  not 
go  down. 

Then  Ja-cob  said,  If  it  must  be  so,  take  Ben-ja- 
min  with  you,  and  may  God  give  you  grace  with  this 
man  that  he  may  send  my  two  boys  back  to  me. 

So  the  men  took  Ben-ja-min  and  went  down  to 
E-gypt,  and  stood  face  to  face  with  Jo-seph. 

And  they  gave  Jo-seph  the  gifts  they  had  brought, 
and  bowed  down  to  the  earth.  And  he  asked  how 
they  all  were,  and  if  their  fath-er  was  well ;  and  when 
he  saw  Ben-ja-min  he  said,  Is  this  the  young  broth-er 
of  whom  you  spoke?  And  he  said  to  the  lad,  God 
be  good  to  thee,  my  son. 

And  Jo-seph's  heart  was  so  full  at  sight  of  the 
boy,  and  he  longed  so  to  throw  his  arms  round  him, 
that  he  had  to  make  haste  and  leave  the  room  that 
his  tears  might  not  be  seen. 

Then  he  came  back  and  had  the  feast  set  out, 
and  all  did  eat  and  drink,  and  were  glad  at  heart. 
And  when  the  time  came  for  his  guests  to  leave,  Jo- 
seph told  his  head  man  to  fill  their  sacks  with  corn, 
to  put  their  gold  back  in  the  mouth  of  the  sacks,  and 
to  put  in  the  young  lad's  sack  the  cup  from  which 
Jo-seph  drank  at  each  meal. 


Joseph  and  his  Brethren.  89 

This  was  done,  and  when  they  had  gone  out  of 
the  town  Jo-seph  bade  his  man  go  and  say  to  them: 
My  lord's  cup  is  lost,  and  you  must  know  who  stole  it. 

And  when  the  man  came  up  with  Ja-cob's  sons,  he 
said   just    whal 
Jo-seph  told  hii 
to    say.       And| 
they  were  all  in| 
a  rage,  and  said: 
Why  does    nr 
lord  say  sue 
things  of  us?   ] 
the  cup  is  found[ 
on    one   of    us, 
kill    him;  and! 
make    the    resl 
of  us  slaves. 

And   eac 
one  of  them  casl 
his  sack  on  th< 
ground,     and 

.       .  -  JA-COB  BLESS-ES  JO-SEPH'S  CHIL-DREN. 

loosed  it  at  the 

top.  And  the  cup  was  found  in  Ben-ja-min's  sack. 
Then  they  rent  their  clothes,  and  in  great  grief  went 
back  to  Jo-seph's  house  and  found  him  there.  And 
they  fell  down  at  his  feet. 

And  Ju-dah  said,  God  has  found  out  our  sins. 


90  History  of  tke  Old   Testament. 

Let  us  be  your  slaves;  and  take  him  as  well  in  whose 
sack  the  cup  was  found. 

Jo-seph  said,  No ;  but  the  man  in  whose  sack  the 
cup  was  found  shall  stay  and  serve  me,  and  the  rest 
shall  go  in  peace. 

Then  Ju-dah,  who  had  sworn  that  he  would  bring 
back  the  boy,  said  to  Jo-seph:  If  we  go  home,  and 
our  fath-er  sees  the  lad  is  not  with  us,  he  will  die  of 
grief.  For  his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life. 

Jo-seph  could  not  keep  back  his  tears,  and  when 
he  had  sent  all  the  men  of  E-gypt  out  of  the  room, 
he  said  to  his  broth-ers,  Come  near,  I  pray  you. 

And  they  came  near.  And  he  said,  I  am  Jo- 
seph, whom  ye  sold  in-to  E-gypt.  But  grieve  not 
that  ye  did  this  thing,  for  God  did  send  me  here  that 
I  might  save  your  lives.  Go  home  and  tell  my  fath- 
er that  God  hath  made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt,  and  bid 
him  come  down  to  me  at  once.  And  say  that  he 
shall  dwell  near  me,  in  the  land  of  Go-shen,  and  I 
will  take  care  of  him. 

Then  he  fell  on  Ben-ja-min's  neck,  and  they  wept ; 
and  he  kissed  his  broth-ers  and  shed  tears,  but  they 
were  tears  of  joy. 

Ja-cob  took  all  that  he  had  and  went  down  to 
E-gypt.  And  three-score  and  ten  souls  went  with 
him.  And  they  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Go-shen,  and 

Ja-cob  died  there. 

•f  • 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the    Wilderness.  91 

Joseph's  breth-ren  thought  that  he  would  hate 
them  now  that  their  fath-er  was  dead.  And  they 
fell  down  at  his  feet  and  wept  and  prayed  that  he 
would  do  them  no  harm. 

Jo-seph  bade  them  fear  not,  for  he  would  take 
care  of  them  and  be  kind  to  them.  They  had  meant 
to  do  him  an  ill  turn  when  he  was  a  lad,  but  God 
had  made  it  turn  out  for  good,  and  it  was  all  right. 
And  Jo-seph  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  had  two 
sons,  whose  names  were 'E-phra-im  and  Ma-nas-seh, 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THROUGH    THE    RED    SEA    AND    THE    WILDERNESS. 

BY  and  by  there  rose  up  a  new  King  in  E-gypt 
who  knew  not  Jo-seph.  He  was  called  Pha-ra-oh,  as 
this  was  the  name  by  which  all  the  kings  of  E-gypt 
were  known.  And  he  said  there  were  more  He- 
brews, or  Jews,  in  the  land  than  there  ought  to  be, 
and  if  war  should  break  out,  and  these  Jews  should 
take  sides  with  the  foes  of  Pha-ra-oh  and  his  race, 
they  would  be  sure  to  win.  So  he  set  them  hard 
tasks,  and  made  them  bear  great  loads,  and  did  all  he 
could  to  vex  them,  and  still  they  grew  in  strength. 
God  had  said  they  were  to  be  as  the  stars  in  the  sky, 


92  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

i 

and  as  the  sands  of  the  sea,  that  no  one  could  count. 
And  the  king  of  E-gypt  tried  to  stop  this  thing. 

And  he  made  it  a  law  that  if  a  boy  child  was 
born  to  the  He-brews  it  should  be  put  to  death  at 
once  ;  but  a  girl  child  might  live.  And  this  was  the 
cause  of  great  grief  to  the  poor  bond  slaves,  who 
were  forced  to  do  the  will  of  the  great  king. 

One  day  the  prin-cess  went  down  to  bathe  in  the 
stream  that  ran  near  her  house.  And  her  maids 
went  with  her.  And  as  she  stood  on  the  shore  of  the 
Nile,  she  caught  sight  of  a  small  boat  built  like  an 
ark,  that  was  hid  in  the  reeds,  and  sent  her  maids  to 
fetch  it  out. 

When  the  prin-cess  looked  in  the  ark  she  saw  the 
child.  And  the  babe  wept.  And  the  prin-cess 
tried  to  soothe  it,  but  the  child  cried  the  more,  for  her 
voice  was  a  strange  one.  And  she  said,  This  is  a 
He-brew  child. 

And  one  of  her  maids  spoke  up,  and  said,  Shall  I 
get  thee  a  He-brew  nurse,  that  she  may  nurse  the 
child  for  thee? 

And  the  prin-cess  said,  Yes;  go. 

And  the  maid  brought  her  own  and  the  babe's 
moth-er,  to  whom  the  prin-cess  said,  Take  this  child 
and  nurse  it  for  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  for  it. 

And  the  wo-man  took  the  child  and  took  care 
of  it. 


THE    KIND-ING   OF   MO-SBS. 


a  A  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  was  brought  down  to 
Pha-ra-oh's  house,  and  the  prin-cess  made  him  her 
son,  and  gave  him  the  name  of  Mo-ses:  which 
means  "  Drawn  out." 

One  day,  when  Mo-ses  had  grown  to  be  a  man, 
he  went  out  to  look  at  those  of  his  own  race,  and  to 
watch  them  at  their  tasks.  And  while  he  stood 
there  a  man  from  E-gypt  struck  one  of  the  Jews; 
and  when  Mo-ses  looked  to  the  right  and  to  the  left 
and  saw  that  no  one  was  near,  he  slew  the  one  from 
E-gypt  and  hid  him  in  the  sand. 

And  the  next  day,  when  he  went  out,  he  saw 
there  was  a  fight  be-tween  two  He-brews.  And  he 
said  to  the  one  who  was  in  the  wrong,  Why  did  you 
strike  that  man  ? 

And  he  said,  Who  made  thee  our  judge?  Dost 
thou  want  to  kill  me,  as  thou  didst  the  one  from 
E-gypt  ? 

And  Mo-ses  was  scared,  for  he  thought  no  one 
knew  of  this  deed. 

As  soon  as  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the  king,  he 
sought  to  slay  Mo-ses.  But  Mo-ses  fled  from  him, 
and  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Mid-i-an,  and  found  a  wife 
there,  and  took  care  of  the  flocks  of  Jeth-ro,  his 
wife's  fath-er. 

One  day  as  he  led  his  flock  out  in  search  of  food 
he  came  to  Mount  Ho-reb,  and  there  he  saw  a  flame 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the    Wilderness. 


95 


of  fire  stream  out  of  a  bush,  and  the  bush  was  not 
burnt  in  the  least. 

As  he  drew  near  the  bush  the  Lord  spoke  to  him 
out  of  the  flame,  and  Mo- 
ses  hid   his  face,    for  he 
dared  not  look  on  God. 

The  Lord  said,  The 
cry  of  the  chil-dren  of  Is- 
ra-el  has  come  up  to  me, 
and  I  have  seen  how  ill 
they  have  been  used. 
And  I  will  send  thee  to 
Pha-ra-oh  that  thou  mayst 
bring  them  forth  out  of 
the  land  of  E-gypt. 

But  Mo-ses  was  loth 
to  go. 

And  the  Lord  said, 
What  is  that  in  thine 
hand  ?  And  Moses  said, 
A  rod,  And  the  Lord 
said,  Cast  it  on  the 
ground.  And  he  cast  it 
on  the  ground,  and  it  was  changed  to  a  snake,  and 
Mo-ses  fled  from  it.  Then  the  Lord  said  to  Mo-ses, 
Put  forth  thine  hand,  and  take  it  by  the  tail.  And 
Mo-ses  did  so,  and  it  was  a  rod  in  his  hand.  And 


MO-SES   BROUGHT   BE-FORE   PHA-RA-OH's   DAUGH-TER. 


96  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

the  Lord  said,  Put  now  thy  hand  in  on  thy  breast. 
And  he  put  it  in,  and  when  he  drew  it  out  it  was 
white,  and  like  a  dead  hand.  And  he  put  his  hand 
in  once  more,  and  drew  it  out,  and  it  was  like  the 
rest  of  his  flesh. 

Then  Mo-ses  said,  O,  my  Lord,  I  am  not  fit  to  do 
this  work,  for  I  am  slow  of  speech,  and  a  man  of  few 
words. 

And  the  Lord  said  to  him,  I  will  be  with  thee, 
and  teach  thee  what  thou  wilt  say. 

Still  Mo-ses  was  loth  to  go,  and  the  Lord  was 
wroth  with  him,  and  said,  Take  Aa-ron  with  thee. 
He  can  speak  well.  And  thou  shalt  tell  him  what 
to  say  and  do,  and  I  will  teach  you,  and  with  this 
rod  in  thy  hand  thou  shalt  do  great  things,  as  if  thou 
wert  God. 

So  Mo-ses  took  his  wife  and  his  sons  and  put 
them  on  an  ass,  and  went  back  to  E-gypt  with  the  rod 
of  God  in  his  hand. 

And  Mo-ses  and  Aa-ron  went  in  to  the  king  and 
begged  him  to  let  the  He-brews  go  out  of  the  land. 
And  he  would  not,  but  laid  more  work  on  the  men, 
and  bade  them  make  bricks  with-out  straw,  and  do 
all  sorts  of  hard  tasks. 

And  the  Lord  sent  plagues  on  the  land,  and  the 
ponds  dried  up,  and  all  the  large  streams  were  turned 
to  blood,  and  the  fish  died,  and  the  stench  of  them 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the    Wilderness. 


97 


made  the  air  scarce  fit  to  breathe.  And  there  was 
no  wa-ter  they  could  drink.  Then  there  came  a 
plague  of  frogs, 
and  they  were 
so  thick  in  the 
land  that  Pha- 
ra-oh  said  he 
would  let  the 


ses  would  rid 
him  of  the  frogs 
at  the  same 
time. 

But  the 
king  did  not 
keep  his  word, 
for  as  soon  as  he 
found  the  frogs 
grew  less,  he 
said  the  He- 
brews should 
not  go. 

Then     the 

Lord  smote  the  land  with  lice  ;  but  still 
heart  was  hard. 

Then  the   Lord  sent  flies  in  such   swarms 


MOS-ES    AT   THE    BURN-ING    BUSH. 


Pha- 


ra- 


oh's 
that 


98  History     of  the   Old  Testament. 

there  was  no  place  that  was  free  from  them,  and  they 
made  the  food  not  fit  to  eat. 

And  the  king  told  Mo-ses  he  would  let  the  bond- 
slaves go  to  serve  their  God,  but  they  were  not  to  go 
far  till  the  land  was  rid  of  flies.  Then  Mo-ses  went 
forth  and  prayed  to  God,  and  the  flies  left  the  land. 
But  still  the  king's  heart  was  hard,  and  he  would 
not  let  them  go. 

Then  the  Lord  sent  worse  plagues :  the  flocks 
and  herds  died ;  there  were  boils  on  man  and  beast ; 
the  crops  did  not  come  up,  and  rain,  hail,  and  balls 
of  fire  came  down  from  the  sky.  And  still  the  heart 
of  the  king  was  as  hard  as  stone.  Then  the  Lord 
sent  lo-custs,  that  ate  up  all  the  hail  had  left,  and 
there  was  not  a  green  leaf  on  the  trees  nor  a  blade  of 
grass  to  be  seen  in  the  whole  land. 

And  the  king  bade  Mo-ses  to  set  him  free  from 
this  plague.  And  the  Lord  sent  a  strong  west  wind, 
that  blew  the  flies  in-to  the  Red  Sea.  Yet  Pha-ra-oh 
would  not  let  the  He-brews  go. 

Then  the  Lord  told  Mo-ses  to  stretch  out  his 
hand,  and  there  came  up  a  thick  cloud  that  made  the 
land  so  dark  that  the  folks  staid  in  bed  for  three 
days.  And  Pha-ra-oh  said  to  Mo-ses,  Get  thee  out 
of  my  sight.  For  if  I  see  thy  face  thou  shalt  die. 

And  Mo-ses  said,  Thou  hast  well  said:  I  will  see 
thy  face  no  more. 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the    Wilderness.  9^) 

And  the  Lord  sent  one  more  plague  on  E-gypt: 
he  smote  the  first-born  of  men  and  of  beasts,  and  a 
great  cry  was  heard  through  the  land.  And  then 
Pha-ra-oh  had  to  let 
the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el 
go,  for  he  could  not 
keep  up  this  strife  with 
God.  And  Mo-ses  led 
the  He-brew  chil-dren 
out  of  E-gypt,  and  the 
Lord  sent  a  cloud  by 
day  and  a  fire  by  night 
to  show  them  the 
way. 

And  when  they 
were  in  camp  by  the 
Red  Sea,  they  looked 
up  and  saw  Pha-ra-oh 
and  his  hosts,  and  were 
in  great  fear  lest  he 
should  kill  them.  And 
they  cried  out  to  the 
Lord,  and  blamed 
Mo-ses  that  he  had 
brought  them  in-to  such  straits. 

As  they  came  to  the  Red  Sea,  Mo-ses  raised  his 
rod  and  the  sea  rose  like  a  wall  on  each  side,  and 


MIR-IAM,    THE   SIS-TER    OF   MO-SES,    AND    THE    VVO-ME.N 
OF   IS-RAEL  SING-ING  PRAISES. 


ioo  History  of  tlie  Old   Testament. 

the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  went  on  dry  land  through  the 
midst  of  the  sea. 

Then  Pha-ra-oh  and  his  hosts  came  close  in  the 
rear,  and  passed  down  be-tween  the  great  sea-wall 
that  rose  at  the  right  hand  and  at  the  left.  And  the 
waves  that  had  stood  still  at  a  sign  from  God  were 
let  loose,  and  the  king  and  his  horse-men  were  swept 
out  of  sight. 

When  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  came  out  of  the 
Red  Sea  they  were  three  days  with  naught  to  drink. 
And  when  they  came  to  a  stream,  called  Ma-rah, 
they  found  it  bitter.  And  they  said  to  Mo-ses, 
What  shall  we  drink? 

And  Mo-ses  cried  out  to  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord 
showed  him  a  tree,  and  when  he  had  cast  a  branch 
of  it  in  the  stream  it  was  made  sweet  at  once.  And 
they  came  to  E-lim,  where  were  ten  wells  and  three- 
score palm-trees,  and  there  they  made  their  camp. 

It  was  not  long  ere  there  was  a  great  cry  for 
bread. 

And  Mo-ses  plead  with  God,  and  when  the  sun 
went  down  that  day  quails  flew  in-to  the  camp,  and 
they  had  all  the  meat  they  cared  to  eat.  At  dawn 
of  the  next  day,  as  soon  as  the  dew  was  off  the  ground, 
there  came  a  rain  of  what  was  at  first  thought  to  be 
hail-stones. 

But   Mo-ses  said  it  was  food  that  God  had   sr 


101 


IO2  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

them  to  eat,  and  they  were  to  take  all  and  no  more 
than  they  would  need  for  one  day.  For  they  were 
to  trust  in  God  that  he  would  feed  them  each  day. 
On  the  sixth  day  they  were  to  take  what  would  last 
them  for  two  days,  for  no  food  fell  on  the  day  of  rest. 

This  new  food  was  called  man-na. 

As  they  went  on  they  came  to  Reph-i-dim,  but 
found  no  wa-ter  to  drink.  And  they  found  fault 
with  Mo-ses.  And  Mo-ses  cried  out,  Lord,  what 
shall  I  do  to  these,  who  have  a  mind  to  stone  me? 

At  this  time  they  were  near  Mount  Ho-reb,  where 
God  spoke  to  Mo-ses  out  of  a  bush  that  was  on  fire, 
yet  not  burnt. 

And  God  told  Mo-ses  to  take  his  rod  in  his  hand 
and  go  on  till  he  came  to  a  rock.  And  this  rock  he 
was  to  strike  with  his  rod,  and  wa-ter  would  flow  out 
of  it.  And  Mo-ses  did  as  the  Lord  told  him,  and 
when  he  struck  the  rock  the  wa-ter  ran  out. 

In  the  third  month  from  the  time  they  left  E-gypt, 
the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  came  near  Mount  Si-na-i,  and 
went  in-to  camp.  And  Mo-ses  went  up  to  the  top 
of  the  Mount,  and  the  Lord  spoke  to  him  there. 

On  the  third  day  a  thick -cloud  of  smoke  rose 
from  Mount  Si-na-i,  and  a  loud  noise  that  made 
those  that  heard  it  quake  with  fear.  And  Mo-ses 
led  his  flock  out  of  the  camp,  and  they  came  and 
stood  at  the  foot  of  the  mount.  And  they  said  to 


MO-SES  AND  THE  TA-BLES  OF  THE  LAW;. 


T03 


WELL  A*ND  PALM-TREES  IN  THE  DES-EKT. 


THE  RIV-EB  NILE  IN   E-GTPT. 


104 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the   Wilderness.  105 

Mo-ses,  Speak  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  hear;  but 
let  not  God  speak  with  us  lest  we  die.  But  Mo-ses 
told  them  that  God  had  not  come  to  make  them  die, 
but  to  make  them  fear  to  do  aught  that  did  not  please 
him. 

And  God  gave  to  Mo-ses  two  blocks  of  stone  on 
which  were  the  Ten  Laws  that  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el 
were  to  keep. 

Now  while  Mo-ses  was  in  the  mount,  face  to  face 
with  God,  those  whom  he  had  brought  out  of  E-gypt 
were  in  camp  at  the  foot.  And  Mo-ses  staid  so 
long  that  they  made  up  their  minds  he  would  not 
come  back.  So  they  said  to  Aa-ron,  Make  us  a  God 
that  we  can  bow  down  to.  And  Aa-ron  bade  therfi 
throw  all  the  gold  they  had  into  the  fire.  And  they 
did  so,  and  it  took  the  form  of  a  calf.  And  when 
God  saw  this  he  was  not  pleased,  but  bade  Mo-ses 
make  haste  down  the  mount. 

When  Mo-ses  came  down  from  the  mount  with 
the  two  flat  stones  in  his  hands,  and  drew  near  the 
camp,  and  saw  what  had  been  done,  he  was  in  a 
great  rage.  He  cast  the  blocks  of  stone  out  of  his 
hands  and  broke  them  at  the  foot  of  the  mount, 

Thenxhe  took  the  calf  which  they  had  made,  and 
burnt  it  in  the  fire  till  there  was  nought  left  of  it  but 
a  fine  dust.  And  Mo-ses  begged  God  to  blot  out 
the  sins  of  those  whom  he  had  led  out  of  E-gypt. 


io6  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

And  the  Lord  told  Mo-ses  to  hew  out  two  blocks  of 
stone  like  to  the  first,  and  bring  them  up  with  him 
to  the  top  of  Mount  Si-na-i. 

This  Mo-ses  did,  and  the  Lord  wrote  on  them 
the  Ten  Laws  that  all  were  to  keep  if  they  would 
reach  the  land  they  sought. 

They  were  more  than  two-score  years  on  the  road, 
and  in  that  time  they  met  with  plagues,  and  there 
was  strife  in  their  midst,  yet  as  they  went  there  was 
the  fire  by  night  and  the  cloud  by  day  to  show  that 
the  Lord  was  with  them. 

When  they  came  to  Mount  Hor  and  were  yet 
a  long  way  from  Ca-naan,  Aa-ron  died,  and  there 
was  great  grief  at  his  loss.  They  were  sick  at  heart 
and  foot-sore,  and  spoke  hard  words  of  God  and 
Mo-ses.  There  is  no  bread  here  for  us,  they  said, 
and  no  wa-ter,  and  we  loathe  this  man-na.  And  for 
this  sin  God  sent  snakes  in-to  their  camp,  and  they 
bit  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  so  that  a  few  of  them  died. 
Then  they  plead  with  Mo-ses  to  rid  them  of  the 
snakes,  and  make  their  peace  with  God. 

And  Mo-ses  prayed  for  them.  And  God  told 
him  to  make  a  snake  like  to  those  which  bit 
his  flock,  and  set  it  up  on  a  pole.  And  all  those 
who  would  look  at  this  brass  snake  should  be  made 
well. 

And  Mo-ses  did  so.     And  this  sign  was  meant 


SINKI. 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the    Wilderness. 


109 


to  show  forth  Christ,  who  was  to  heal  men  of  their 
sins,  and  to  be  raised  up  on  a  cross. 

And  Mo-ses 
led  his  flock,  till 
they  came  to 
the  plains  of 
Mo-ab.  And 
Ba-lak,  the  king 
of  that  land, 
thought  they 
had  come  to 
fight  with  him, 
and  he  sent  a 
man  named  Ba- 
laam out  to 
curse  them  and 
drive  them  back. 
HetoldBa-laam 
he  would  make 
him  a  rich  man 
if  he  would  do 
this  thing,  and 
as  Ba-laam  was 
fond  of  wealth 
he  said  he  would  do  the  the  king's  will.  So  he  set 
forth  on  his  ass,  and  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met 
an  an-gel  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand.  Ba-laam 


BA-LAAM   AND   THE  ASS. 


no  ffistory  of  the  Old  Testament. 

did  not  see  him,  but  the  ass  did  and  turned  out 
of  the  road.  But  the  an-gel  went  on  and  stood  in 
a  place  where  there  was  a  wall  on  each  side. 

When  the  ass  came  to  the  place  she  went  close 
to  the  wall  and  tried  to  get  by.  But  she  hurt  Ba- 
laam's foot  and  he  struck  her  and  made  her  go  on. 
And  the  an-gel  went  on  and  stood  in  a  place  where 
there  was  no  room  to  turn  to  the  right  hand  or  the 
left. 

Then  the  ass  shook  with  fright  and  fell  down  on 
the  ground.  And  Ba-laam  struck  her  with  the  staff 
that  he  had  in  his  hand. 

And  the  Lord  made  the  ass  speak  like  a  man, 
and  say,  What  have  I  done  to  thee  that  thou  hast 
struck  me  these  three  times? 

Ba-laam  said,  To  make  thee  move  on :  I  would 
there  were  a  sword  in  my  hand,  for  I  would  kill  thee. 

Then  the  ass  said,  Am   I   not  thine?  and  have 

been  wont  to  do  so  to  thee?     And   Ba-laam  said, 

No.     Then  the   Lord  made  Ba-laam  see  the  an-gel 

that  stood  in  the  way  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand, 

and  Ba-laam  bowed  his  face  to  the  ground. 

Then  the  an-gel  said,  Why  hast  thou  struck  thine 
as-s  these  three  times?  Lo,  I  came  out  to  stop  thee, 
and  to  turn  thee  from  the  way  of  sin.  And  the  ass 
saw  me,  and  turned  from  the  path,  and  if  she  had 
not  done  so  I  would  have  slain  thee. 


Through  the  Red  Sea  and  the   Wilderness. 


in 


Then  he  said  to  Ba-laam,  Go  with  the  men  the 
king  has  sent,  but  say  on-ly  what  I  shall  tell  thee. 

So  Ba-laam  went  with  the  men,  and  when  Ba-lak 
heard  that  he 
was  come  he 
went  out  to  meet 
him.  The  next 
day  Ba-lak  took 
Ba-laam  to  a 
high  place,  from 
whence  he  could 
look  down  on  the 
camp  of  Is-ra-el, 
and  curse  them. 

But  the  Lord 
would  not  let 
him  curse  them, 
but  made  him 
speak  good 
things  of  them. 
This  was  done 
on  three  high 
mounts,  and  at 
last  the  king  was 
wroth,  and  said  to  Ba-laam,  I  sent  for  thee  to  curse  my 
foes,  and  lo,  these  three  times  hast  thou  blest  them. 

And  Ba-lak  bade  him  make  haste  and  go  back 


MOSES  ON   MOUNT   NE-BO. 


1 1 2  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

to  his  own  home.     And  Ba-laam  went  off  as  poor  as 
he  came,  for  Ba-lak  gave  him  none  of  his  gold. 

The  Lord  brought  Mo-ses  and  his  flock  to  the 
banks  of  the  Jor-dan,  which  they  would  have  to  cross 
to  reach  the  land  of  Ca-naan.  And  while  they  were 
there,  Mo-ses  went  up  to  the  top  of  Mount  Ne-bo  to 
talk  with  God.  And  God  told  him  how  large  the 
land  was  that  he  would  give  to  the  chil-dren  of  Is- 
ra-el.  And  he  said  that  Mo-ses  should  look  on  it, 
but  should  not  step  foot  in  the  land.  And  Mo-ses 
died  on  Mount  Ne-bo,  and  though  an  old  man,  was 
well  and  strong  till  the  Lord  took  him.  And  no 
one  knows  in  what  part  of  the  earth  his  grave  was 
made. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOW  JOSHUA  AND  JEPHTHAH  FOUGHT  FOR  THE  LORD. 

WHEN  Mo-ses  died,  Josh-u-a  took  charge  of  the 
chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el,  and  sought  to  do  God's  will,  as 
Mo-ses  had  done.  And  Josh-u-a  sent  word  through 
the  camp  that  in  three  days  they  would  cross  the 
Jor-dan.  And  when  they  set  foot  in  the  stream  the 
waves  stood  back  as  they  did  in  the  Red  Sea,  and 
they  went  through  Jor-dan  on  dry  ground.  And  as 


How  Joshua  and  Jephthah  Fougkt  for  the  Lord. 


they  came  up  out  of  the  stream  the  waves  closed  up 
and  there  was  no  path-way  through  them. 

The  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  made  their  camp  at  a 
place  called  Gil-gal ; 
and  as  there  was  no 
lack  of  food  in  this 
good  land,  the  Lord 
ceased  to  rain  down 
man-na  for  them  to 
eat. 

The  next  day 
Josh-u-a  left  the 
camp  and  came  near 
:o  the  walls  of  Jer-i- 
cho.  There  he  met 
a  man  with  a  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand. 
And  Josh-u-a  said, 
Art  thou  for  us  or 
for  our  foes  ? 

And  the  man 
said,  As  prince  of 
the  Lord's  host  am 
I  now  come.  And  at  these  words  Josh-u-a  fell  on 
his  face  to  the  earth ;  for  he  knew  it  was  the  Lord 
that  spoke  to  him. 

The  Lord  told  Josh-u-a  to  have  no  fear  of  the 


PASS-ING   THROUGH   THE   JOR-DAN. 


H4  History  of  the  Old  Testament, 

king  of  Jer-i-cho,  for  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  should 
take  the  town.  All  their  men  of  war  were  to  march 
round  the  town  once  each  day  for  six  days.  Some 
of  the  priests  were  to  bear  the  ark,  which  held  the 
things  they  made  use  of  when  they  went  in  to  talk 
with  God,  and  some  were  to  blow  on  rams'  horns. 

And  the  next  day — when  the  six  days  were  at  an 
encj — they  were  to  march  round  the  town  sev-en 
times,  and  the  priests  were  to  blow  their  horns.  And 
when  the  men  of  Is-ra-el  heard  a  long  loud  blast  they 
were  all  to  give  a  great  shout  and  the  wall  would  fall 

o  o 

flat  to  the  ground,  and  they  could  march  in  and  take 
the  town. 

Josh-u-a  bade  his  men  do  all  the  Lord  had  said; 
and  told  them  to  make  no  noise  with  their  voice  as 
they  went  their  rounds  till  he  bade  them  shout. 
And  when  the  priests  blew  their  horns  for  the  last 
time,  Josh-u-a  cried,  Shout!  for  the  Lord  is  with  us! 
and  there  was  a  great  shout  and  the  wall  fell,  and 
they  took  the  town  ;  and  the  fame  of  Josh-u-a  spread 
through  all  the  lands. 

Josh-u-a  fought  with  more  than  a  score  of  kings 
and  won  their  lands  from  them ;  but  yet  there  was 
much  land  in  Ca-naan  for  which  the  chil-dren  of  Is- 
ra-el  would  have  to  fight. 

But  as  the  years  went  on,  Josh-u-a  grew  so  old 
that  he  could  not  lead  his  men  to  war  as  he  used  to 


How  Joshua  and  Jephthah  Fought  for  the  Lord.  115 

do.  And  he  called  his  flock  to  him  and  told  them 
how  good  the  Lord  had  been  to  them.  And  he  bade 
them  love  the  Lord  and  serve  him,  and  put  from 


JOSH-VJ-A    AND    THE   STONE   OF   WIT-NESS. 


them  all  strange  gods.  He  said,  Choose  ye  this  day 
whom  ye  will  serve ;  but  as  for  me  and  my  house  we 
will  serve  the  Lord. 

And  the  men  said,  The  Lord  hath  done  great 


n6  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

things  for  us,    and    him  will  we    serve,  for    he     is 

our  God. 

And  Josh-u-a  took  a  great  stone  and  set  it  up 
'neath  an  oak  tree  that  stood  near  where  the  ark  was 
kept  at  Shi-loh.  And  this  stone,  he  said,  was  to  be 
a  sign  of  the  vow  they  had  made  there  to  serve  the 
Lord.  And  when  the  talk  was  at  an  end,  the  men 
went  to  their  own  homes. 

And  ere  long  Josh-u-a  died.  And  they  laid  him 
in  the  part  of  the  land  that  God  gave  him  as  his  own, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  hill  of  Ga-ash. 

Then  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  went  to  war  with 
the  tribes  that  were  in  the  land  of  Ca-naan,  as  Josh- 
u-a  had  told  them  to  do.  But  they  did  not  drive 
them  all  out,  as  they  should  have  done,  but  made 
friends  with  those  that  were  left,  and  were  led  in-to 
sin,  and  were  made  to  serve  as  bond-slaves.  And 
when  they  were  sick  of  their  sins,  and  sought  the 
help  of  the  Lord,  he  sent  men  to  rule  them,  and  to 
lead  them  out  to  war  and  set  them  free  from  these 
friends  who  proved  to  be  the  worst  kind  of  foes. 

Now  there  was  a  man  in  Is-ra-el  whose  name  was 
Jeph-thah.  He  was  a  brave  man,  and  had  done 
great  deeds,  but  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  were  not 
kind  to  him,  so  he  fled  from  their  land,  and  went  to 
live  in  the  land  of  Tob.  But  when  the  Jews  had 
need  of  a  man  to  lead  them  out  to  war,  they  thought 


How  Joshua  and  Jephthah  Fought  for  the  Lord. 


117 


of  Jeph-thah.      And  they  said,  Come,  and  be  at  the 
head  of  us  when  we  go  out  to  fight  the  Am-mon-ites. 

And  Jeph-thah  said,  If  I  go  with  you,  and  win 
the  fight,  will  you  make 
me  judge  in  Is-ra-el? 

And  they  said  they 
would. 

Now  ere  the  fight 
took  place,  Jeph-thah 
made  a  vow  that  if  the 
Lord  would  let  him 
win  he  would  give  to 
God  —  that  is,  would 
slay  and  burn  as  if  it 
were  a  lamb — the  first 
who  came  out  of  his 
doors  to  meet  him 
when  he  went  back  to 
his  home. 

Jeph-thah  should 
not  have  made  this  rash 
vow,  and  need  not  have 
kept  it  if  he  had  asked 
God  to  for-give  the  sin. 

He  went  out  to  fight  the  Am-mon-ites,  and  by 
the  help  of  the  Lord  the  chil-dren  of  Is-m-el  were 
set  free  from  them. 


JEPH-THAH   AND   HIS   DAUGH-TER. 


n&  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

When  the  fight  was  at  an  end  Jeph-thah  went 
back  to  his  home,  and  the  first  to  come  out  to  meet 
him  was  his  own  child,  a  fair  young  maid,  whose 
face  was  bright  with  joy.  She  was  all  the  child  that 
Jeph-thah  had,  and  when  he  saw  her  he  rent  his 
clothes  and  told  her  of  the  vow  he  had  made. 

And  she  said,  My  fath-er,  if  thou  hast  made  a 
vow  to  the  Lord,  do  with  me  as  thou  hast  said. 
And  he  took  his  child  and  did  to  her  as  he  had  said 
he  would,  and  all  the  young  girls  in  Is-ra-el  wept 
for  her. 

Jeph-thah  was  a  judge  for  six  years,  and  then 
he  died. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SAMSON  :    THE    STRONG    MAN. 

THE  Jews  kept  on  in  their  sins,  and  took  no 
pains  to  please  the  Lord,  and  so  fell  in-to  the  hands 
of  the  Phil-is-tines. 

And  there  was  at  that  time  a  man  in  Is-ra-el 
whose  name  was  Ma-no-ah.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
served  the  Lord ;  and  they  had  no  child.  And  God 
sent  one  of  his  an-gels  to  the  wife  of  Ma-no-ah  to  tell 


Samson:    the  Strong  Man.  119 

her  that  she  should  have  a  son  who  was  to  be  brought 
up  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  to  do  his  work. 

Ere  long  Ma-no-ah  and  his  wife  had  a  son,  to 
whom  they  gave  the  name  of  Sam-son. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  the  Lord  blest  him. 
And  when  he  was  grown  up  he  went  to  Tin-muth, 
where  he  met  a  Phil-is-tine  wo-man  and  fell  in  love 
with  her. 

Then  his  pa-rents  plead  with  him  to  find  a  wife 
in  Is-ra-el,  and  not  to  take  this  one  who  was  no  friend 
to  his  race.  But  Sam-son  would  not  give  her  up. 

So  they  went  with  him  to  Tin-muth.  And  on 
the  way  a  li-on  ran  out  and  roared  at  him.  And 
Sam-son  put  his  arms  round  the  beast  and  tore  him 
with  his  hands  as  if  he  had  been  a  young  kid.  But 
he  did  not  tell  his  fath-er  and  moth-er  what  he  had 
done. 

The  time  soon  came  when  Sam-son  was  to  set 
the  Jews  free  from  the  Phil-is-tines.  And  he  went 
down  to  one  of  their  towns  and  slew  a  few  of  their 
men,  and  then  went  back  to  his  own  home,  while  his 
wife  stayed  in  Tin-muth. 

When  it  was  time  to  bring  the  wheat  in  from  the 
field,  Sam-son  went  down  to  see  his  wife,  and  took 
with  him  a  young  kid.  But  when  he  came  to  the 
house  her  fath-er  would  not  let  him  go  in,  and  told 
him  that  she  was  his  wife  no  more,  but  had  gone  to 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

live  with  some  one  else.  Then  Sam-son  was  in  a 
great  rage,  and  he  went  and  caught  more  than  ten 
score  fox-es,  and  set  bits  of  wood  on  fire,  and  tied 
these  fire-brands  to  their  tails,  and  let  them  loose  in 
the  fields  and  vine-yards  of  the  Phil-is-tines. 

And  they  set  fire  to  the  grain,  and  burnt  it  all  up. 

And  the  grape-vines  and  fruit  trees  were  burnt, 
and  much  harm  was  done. 

When  the  Phil-is-tines  found  out  that  it  was 
Sam-son  who  had  done  this  they  took  his  wife  and 
her  fath-er  and  burnt  them  to  death.  And  Sam-son 
fought  and  slew  a  host  of  the  Phil-is-tines,  and  then 
went  on  the  top  of  a  high  rock  called  E-tam  to  stay 
there. 

Then  a  crowd  of  men  went  up  with  a  rush  to  the 
top  of  the  rock,  and  they  said  to  Sam-son,  We  have 
come  to  bind  thee,  that  we  may  give  thee  into  the 
hands  of  the  Phil-is-tines. 

Sam-son  made  them  swear  that  they  would  not 
put  him  to  death,  and  they  bound  him  with  strong 
cords  and  brought  him  down  from  the  rock. 

As  they  drew  near  the  camp  of  the  Phil-is-tines 
a  great  shout  went  up  from  the  men  there.  And 
the  Lord  gave  Sam-son  such  strength  that  he  broke 
the  cords  from  his  arms  as  if  they  had  been  burnt 
threads. 

And  Sam-son  took   up  the  jaw-bone  of  an    ass, 


Samson  :   the  Strong  Man. 


121 


and  with  it  he  fought  the  Phil-is-tines  and  slew  a  host 
of  them. 

Then  a  great  thirst  came  on  him,  and  there  was 
no  well  near  from  which  he  could  drink.  And  he 
grew  so  weak  that 
he  cried  out  to  the 
Lord  not  to  let  him 
die  of  thirst  or  fall 
into  the  hands  of 
his  foes. 

And  the  Lord 
made  a  spring  at 
that  place  and  wa- 
ter ran  out,  and 
when  Sam-son  had 
drunk,  his  strength 
came  back  to  him. 

Sam-son  came 
to  the  town  of  Ga- 
za, and  went  in  a 
house  there.  Now 
the  Phil-is-tines 
dwelt  in  Ga-za, 
and  when  they  heard  that  Sam-son  was  there  they 
shut  the  gates  of  the  town,  and  kept  watch  near  them* 
all  night.  They  said  when  the  day  dawns  we  will 
kill  him. 


SAM-SON    SLAY-ING   THE   PHIL-IS-TINES. 


122  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

But  in  the  dead  of  the  night  Sam-son  rose  up 
and  came  to  the  gates  of  the  town,  and  when  he  found 
them  shut  he  took  them  up — posts,  bar  and  all — and 
bore  them  a  long  way  off  to  the  top  of  a  hill. 

Sam-son's  hair  had  not  been  cut,  and  it  had  grown 
thick  and  long.  And  there  was  a  wo-man  named 
De-li-lah  whom  Sam-son  used  to  go  and  see.  And 
when  the  Phil-is-tines  heard  of  it  they  came  to  her 
and  told  her  if  she  would  find  out  how  they  might 
bind  Sam-son  and  bear  him  off,  they  would  give  her 
a  large  sum  of  gold. 

So  when  Sam-son  came  to  De-li-lah's  house  she 
said  to  him,  Tell  me,  I  pray  thee  what  makes  thee 
so  strong,  and  with  what  thou  couldst  be  bound  and 
not  break  loose? 

Sam-son  said  if  they  bound  him  with  seven  green 
withes — that  is,  cords  made  out  of  soft  twigs — he 
would  be  so  weak  that  he  could  not  break  them. 

When  De-li-lah  told  this  to  the  Phil-is-tines  they 
brought  her  seven  green  withes,  and  Sam-son  let  her 
bind  him  with  them.  Now  she  had  men  hid  in  her 
house  who  were  to  take  Sam-son  if  he  could  not 
break  the  twigs.  And  when  she  had  bound  him 
she  cried  out,  The  Phil-is-tines  seize  thee,  Sam-son ! 
And  as  soon  as  she  had  said  these  words  he  broke 
the  green  withes  as  if  they  were  burnt  threads. 

Then  De-li-lah  knew  that  Sam-son  made  fun  of 


Samson:  the  Strong  Man.  123 

her  and  told  her  lies,  and  she  said  once  more,  Tell 
me,  I  pray  thee,  with  what  thou  canst  be  bound  and 
not  break  loose. 

Sam-son  told  her  if   he  were    bound   with  new 


SAM-SON   CAR-RY-ING    THE   GATES  OF   GA-ZA. 


ropes,  which  had  not  been  used,  that  his  strength 
would  leave  him,  and  he  would  be  too  weak  to  break 
them. 

So  she  took  new  ropes  and  bound  him.      But  ere 
the  men  who  were  hid  in  the  room  could  spring  out 


124  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

and    take  him,  Sam-son    broke   the  ropes  from  his 
arms  as  if  they  had  been  threads. 

Then  De-li-lah  told  Sam-son  that  he  did  but 
mock  her  and  tell  her  lies,  and  she  begged  him  to  let 
her  know  how  he  might  be  bound. 

And  he  said  if  she  would  weave  his  hair  with  the 
web  in  the  loom  his  strength  would  go  from  him. 
And  she  wove  his  long  hair  in  with  the  web,  and 
made  it  fast  with  a  large  peg  that  was  part  of 
the  loom. 

Then  she  cried  out,  and  Sam-son  rose  up  and 
went  off  with  the  great  peg,  and  the  whole  of  the 
web  that  was  in  the  loom. 

Then  she  said  he  did  not  love  her  or  he  would 
not  make  sport  of  her  in  this  way.     And  she  teased  ; 
him  each  day,  and  gave  him  no  peace,  so  that  at  last  j 
he  had  to  tell  her  the  truth. 

He  said  his  hair  had  not  been  cut  since  he  was 
born,  and  if  it  were  shaved  off  he  would  lose  all  his 
strength. 

It  was  wrong  for  Sam-son  to  tell  her  this,  for  she 
was  bad  at  heart  and  not  a  true  friend.  But  he  did 
not  know  then  how  great  was  his  sin. 

De-li-lah  knew  that  this  time  Sam-son  had  told 
her  the  truth ;  so  she  sent  for  the  Phil  is-tines  to  come 
up  to  her  house. 

Then  while  Sam-son  slept,  she  had  a  man  come 


Samson:  the  Strong  Man. 


I25 


in  and  shave  all  the  hair  from  his  head.  And  when 
this  was  done  she  cried  out,  The  Phil-is-tines  seize 
thee,  Sam-son. 

And  he 
woke  from  his 
sleep,  and 
knew  not  his 
strength  had 
gone  from  him. 

Then  the 
Phil-is-tines 
took  him  and 
put  out  his 
eyes,  brought 
him  down  to 
Ga-za,  and 
bound  him 
with  chains  of 
brass.  And 
they  made  him 
fast  to  a  mill- 
stone, and  he 
had  to  work 
hard  to  grind 
their  corn. 

While  he  was  shut  up  in  jail  Sam-son  had  time 
to  think  of  his  sins,  and  he  no  doubt  cried  out  to  the 


SAM-SON    AND    DE-LI-LAH. 


126  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Lord  to  keep  him.      For  his  hair  grew  out  and  his 
strength  came  back.      But  the   Phil-is-tines  did  not 

o 

know  this. 

They  had  made  their  own  god,  and  its  name  was 
Da-gon.  And  they  thought  that  Da-gon  gave  Sam- 
son in-to  their  hands,  and  loud  was  their  praise  of 
him.  And  all  the  Phil-is-tines  met  in  the  large  house 
that  had  been  built  for  Da-gon  that  they  might  bow 
down  to  their  god  and  give  him  thanks. 

The  crowd  was  great,  and  their  hearts  were  full 
of  joy.  And  they  said,  Send  for  Sam-son  that  he 
may  make  sport  for  us.  And  poor  blind  Sam-son 
was  brought  in,  and  sat  down  in  their  midst.  And 
those  in  the  house  and  those  on  the  roof  made  sport 
of  him  in  all  sorts  of  ways. 

And  Sam-son  put  his  arms  round  two  of  the 
great  posts  that  held  up  the  house.  And  he  bent 
down,  and  the  house  fell,  and  most  of  the  Phil-is- 
tines  were  killed.  Sam-son  died  with  them,  and  by 
his  death  slew  more  of  the  foes  of  Is-ra-el  than  he  had 
slain  in  all  his  life. 


"AM-SON  DE-STKOYS  THE  TEMPLE. 


127 


CHAPTER   X. 

RUTH. 

WHILE  Is-ra-el  was  ruled  by  a  judge  whose  name 
has  not  come  down  to  us,  a  dearth  came  on  the  land 
of  Ca-naan.  And  one  of  the  Jews  who  dwelt  in 
Beth-le-hem,  took  his  wife  and  his  two  sons  and 
went  to  stay  for  a  while  in  the  land  of  Mo-ab.  His 
wife's  name-  was  Na-o-mi.  The  man  died  while 
they  were  in  Mo-ab,  and  in  a  few  years  each  of  the 
sons  took  him  a  wife.  And  their  names  were  Or-pah 
and  Ruth.  At  the  end  of  ten  years  the  sons  died, 
and  Na-o-mi  and  their  wives  dwelt  in  the  land  of 
Mo-ab. 

When  Na-o-mi  heard  there  was  no  lack  of  food 
in  Is-ra-el,  she  made  up  her  mind  to  go  back  to 
Beth-le-hem  to  live. 

She  told  Or-pah  and  Ruth  of  her  plan,  and  said 
if  they  choose  to  stay  in  the  land  of  Mo-ab,  where  they 
were  born,  they  might  do  so. 

And  they  kissed  her  and  wept  and  said  they 
would  go  with  her.  But  she  bade  them  stay  where 
they  were,  and  at  last  Or-pah,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 


Ruth. 


129 


kissed  Na-o-mi  good-bye  and  went  back  to  her  own 

home.      But  Ruth  would  not  leave  her.      She  told 

Na-o-mi    not   to 

urge  her  to  go, 

for  nought    but 

death    should 

part  them. 

So  they  went 
to  the  town  of 
Bet  h-le-hem 
where  Na-o-mi 
used  to  live. 

It  was  the 
days  when  the 
grain  was  ripe 
in  the  fields,  and 


th 


e    men 


had 


gone  out  to  cut 
it  down. 

And  Na-o- 
mi  had  a  kins- 
man in  Beth-le- 
hem,  whose 
name  was  Bo-az, 

and  he  was  a  rich  and  great  man.  And  Ruth  said 
to  Na-o-mi,  Let  me  now  go  to  the  fields  and  glean 
the  ears  of  corn. 


RUTH   AND    NA-O-MI. 


130 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 


To  glean  is  to  pick  up.     And  poor  folks,   who 

had  no  fields  of  their  own,  went  to  pick  up  that  which 

was  left  on  the  ground  for  them. 

And  Na-o-mi  told 
Ruth  to  go.  And 
she  went  out  and  came 
to  the  field  that  was 
owned  by  the  rich 
man,  Bo-az. 

When  Bo-az  saw 
Ruth  he  asked  the 
men  who  she  was,  and 
where  she  came  from. 
And  one  of  them  said, 
She  came  with  Na-o- 
mi  from  the  land  of 
Mo-ab.  And  she 
said  to  us,  I  pray  you 
let  me  glean  where 
the  field  has  been 
reaped.  And  we 
told  her  she  might, 
and  she  has  been 

there  for  some  hours.     Then  Bo-az  went  to  Ruth. 
So  she  went  out  each  day  to  his  field,  and  gleaned 

there  till  the  grain  was  all  cut  and  in  the  barns. 

Na-o-mi  said  to  Ruth,   Bo-az   will  win-now  the 


RUTH. 


Rutk. 


bar-ley  to-night.     To  win-now  is  to  fan,  or  to  drive 

off  by  means  of  a  wind.     The  grain  was  first  threshed, 

then    thrown 

from  the  hands 

up    in   the   air. 

The      wind 

would  blow  off 

the    chaff   and 

the  good  grain 

would     fall    to 

the  ground. 

N  a-o-  m  i 
told  Ruth  to  go 
in  and  speak 
to  Bo-az  the 
things  she  told 
her.  So  Ruth 
did  as  Na-o-mi 
said,  and  went 
down  to  the 
fields  where 
Bo-az  and  his 


BO-AZ    AND    RUTH. 


men  were. 

When    she 

came  back  to   Na-o-mi  she  told  her  all  that  she  had 
said  and  done. 

The  next  day  Bo-az  went  down  to  the  gate  of 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Beth-le-hem,  and  told  all  the  chief  men  whom  he 
met  there  that  he  meant  to  make  Ruth  his  wife. 
And  the  men  said  they  would  make  it  known,  and 
prayed  the  Lord  would  bless  Ruth  and  add  to  the 
fame  and  wealth  of  the  rich  and  great  Bo-az. 

So  Bo-az  took  Ruth  for  his  wife.     And  they  had 
a  son  O-bed.     And  Na-o-mi  was  its  nurse. 


CHAPTER  XL 

JOB. 

THERE  was  a  man  in  the  land  of  Uz  whose  name 
was  Job.  He  was  a  good  man  and  tried  to  do  all 
that  was  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  And  God 
gave  him  ten  chil-dren :  sev-en  boys  and  three  girls. 
He  gave  Job  great  wealth,  too,  so  that  there  was  no 
man  in  all  that  part  of  the  world  as  rich  as  he  was. 

When  Job's  sons  were  grown  up  and  had  homes 
of  their  own,  they  used  to  make  feasts  in  turn,  and 
send  for  their  three  sis-ters  to  come  and  eat  and  drink 
with  them.  And  Job  kept  them  in  mind  of  all  they 
owed  to  God,  and  urged  them  to  lead  good  and  true 
lives,  and  to  do  no  wrong. 

When  Job  had  lived  at  his  ease  and  been  a  rich 
man  for  a  long  term  of  years,  a  great  change  took 


Job. 

place.  He  lost  all  his  wealth,  and  all  his  chil-dren; 
for  it  was  God's  will  to  try  him  and  see  how  he 
would  bear  these  ills. 

One  day  one  of  his  men  came  to  him  in  great 
haste,  and  said,  While  we  were  in  the  field  with  the 
ploughs,  a  band  of  thieves  came  and  drove  off  the  ox- 
en and  ass-es  and  slew  thy  men  who  were  with  them, 
and  I  a-lone  am  left  to  tell  thee. 

While  this  man  spoke,  there  came  up  one  who 
said,  A  great  fire  has  come  down  from  the  sky  and 
burnt  up  thy  sheep,  and  all  those  who  took  care  of 
them,  and  I  a-lone  am  left  to  tell  thee. 

While  he  yet  spoke,  a  third  man  came  and  said, 
Thy  foes  came  and  took  all  thy  cam-els,  and  slew 
the  men  who  had  charge  of  them,  and  I  a-lone  am 
left  to  tell  thee. 

Then  a  fourth  came,  and  said,  Thy  chil-dren 
were  at  a  feast  in  the  house  of  thy  first-born  son, 
when  there  came  a  great  wind  that  broke  down  the 
house,  and  it  fell  on  the  young  men  and  they  are 
all  dead,  and  I  a-lone  am  left  to  tell  thee. 

When  Job  heard  these  things  he  tore  his  clothes, 
and  bowed  down  to  the  earth,  as  if  at  the  feet  of  God. 
And  he  said,  I  had  nought  when  I  came  in-to  the 
world,  and  I  shall  have  nought  when  I  die  and  go 
out  of  it.  God  gave  me  all  that  I  had,  and  God 
took  it  from  me.  He  knows  what  is  best  for  me, 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

and  I  thank  him  for  all  that  he  has  done.  So  Job 
did  not  sin,  nor  speak  ill  of  God,  though^  his  grief 
was  so  great  and  had  come  uo-on  him  in  such  a 
strange,  swift  way. 

To  try  Job  still  more,  God  let  him  get  sick  and 
he  was  in  great  pain.  Boils  came  on  him  and  from 
head  to  foot  he  was  a  mass  of  sores. 

Then  his  wife  came  to  Job  and  said,  Dost  thou 
still  trust  God?  Do  so  no  more,  but  curse  him, 
though  he  kill  thee  for  it. 

Job  said,  Thou  dost  not  speak  wise  words. 
When  we  have  so  much  good  from  God,  shall  we 
not  be  con-tent  to  take  our  share  of  the  ills  he  may 
send?  In  all  this  Job  said  not  a  word  that  was  wrong. 

Now  Job  had  three  friends,  who,  when  they 
heard  of  his  hard  lot,  came  to  talk  with  him  and  cheer 
him.  But  when  they  saw  him,  the  change  was  so 
great  they  did  not  know  him. 

Then  they  rent  their  clothes  and  wept,  and  sat 
down  on  the  ground  near  him,  but  did  not  speak  for 
some  time,  for  they  could  see  that  his  grief  was  great. 
These  friends  thought  that  Job  must  have  done  some 
great  sin,  else  these  ills  would  not  have  been  sent 
upon  him.  When  they  spoke  to  him  they  said,  If 
thou  hast  done  wrong,  do  so  no  more,  and  God  will 
free  thee  from  thy  pains. 

Now  Job  knew   that   he  had    done   no    wrong, 


JOB,    AND    liib    FRIENDS. 


History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

and  he  said  to  them,  You  came  to  soothe  me,  but 
what  you  say  does  not  soothe  me  at  all.  Did  I  send 
for  you,  or  ask  you  to  help  me  ?  If  you  were  in  such 
grief  as  I  am,  I  might  say  hard  things  of  you  and 
call  you  bad  men.  But  I  would  not  do  so;  but 
would  speak  kind  words  to  you,  and  try  to  help  you 
bear  your  ills,  and  to  make  your  grief  less. 

Then  Job  spoke  of  his  own  griefs,  and  said:  O, 
that  the  Lord  would  put  me  to  death  that  I  might 
suf-fer  no  more.  When  I  lie  down  at  night  I  can- 
not sleep,  but  toss  on  my  bed  in  pain  and  wish  the 
day  would  dawn.  Or,  if  I  fall  a-sleep  for  a  while,  I 
have  the  worst  kind  of  dreams,  so  that  I  would  be 
glad  to  die  and  wake  no  more  in  this  world.  O,  that 
I  had  some  one  to  speak  to  God  for  me,  for  he  does 
not  hear  when  I  pray.  Yet  I  know  that  he  lives  who 
will  save  my  soul,  and  that  he  will  come  on  the  earth, 
and  I  shall  rise  up  from  my  grave  and  see  God 
for  my-self. 

But  when  Job  found  that  he  could  not  die,  nor 
be  made  well,  but  must  still  bear  his  pains,  he  grew 
cross,  and  was  not  at  all  like  the  Job  of  old.  He 
found  fault,  and  said  that  his  griefs  were  too  great, 
and  that  God  was  not  kind  to  put  him  in  such  pain. 

His  three  friends  did  not  try  to  calm  him,  or  to 
cheer  him  with  the  hope  that  his  woes  would  soon 
be  at  an  end,  nor  did  they  bid  him  trust  in  God  and 


Job.  I37 

seek  help  and  strength  from  him.  But  they  told  him 
that  he  must  have  done  some  great  wrong,  else  God 
would  not  have  sent  all  these  ills  upon  him. 

This  did  not  please  Job,  and  he  spoke  to  them  in 
great  wrath,  and  they  spoke  back  in  the  same  style. 

When  they  had  talked  in  this  way  for  some  time, 
and  had  each  of  them  said  things  they  ought  not  to 
have  said,  they  heard  a  voice  speak  to  them  out  of  a 
whirl-wind  that  swept  by  the  place.  It  was  the  voice 
of  God. 

And  the  voice  spoke  to  Job  and  told  him  of  the 
great  works  that  God  had  done ;  that  it  was  he  who 
made  the  earth,  the  sea,  and  the  sky.  He  sends  the 
rain  on  the  field  to  make  the  grass  grow  and  the  flow- 
ers to  spring  up.  He  sends  the  cold  and  the  heat, 
the  frost  and  the  snow,  and  the  ice  that  stops  the  flow 
of  the  streams.  He  sends  the  clouds,  and  the  roar 
and  the  flash  that  come  from  them  when  the  storms 
rage.  He  made  the  horse  that  is  so  swift  and  strong, 
and  has  no  fear  in  time  of  war,  but  will  rush  in-to  the 
fight  at  the  sound  of  the  trump. 

All  this  and  more  the  voice  spoke  from  the  whirl- 
wind. And  when  God  had  told  Job  of  all  these 
great  works,  he  asked  him  if  he  could  do  these  things, 
or  if  he  thought  he  was  so  wise  that  he  could  teach 
God  what  it  was  best  to  do. 

Then  Job  saw  what  a  sin  it  was  to  find  fault  with 


138  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

God.  And  he  was  full  of  shame,  and  said:  My 
guilt  is  great ;  I  spoke  of  that  of  which  I  knew  naught, 
and  I  bow  down  in  the  dust  before  thee. 

God  said  to  Job's  three  friends,  I  am  wroth  with 
you,  for  you  did  not  speak  in  the  right  way  to  Job. 
Now,  lest  I  pun-ish  you,  take  sev-en  young  bulls  and 
sev-en  rams  and  burn  them  on  the  al-tar,  and  ask  Job 
to  pray  for  you,  for  him  will  I  hear.  So  they  did  as 
the  Lord  told  them,  and  Job  prayed  for  them,  and 
God  for-gave  them  their  sins. 

In  a  short  time  Job  was  well  once  more.  His 
pains  all  left  him;  and  then  his  friends  and  all  his 
folks  came  to  see  him  and  they  had  a  good  feast. 
And  each  man  brought  him  a  rich  gift,  and  the  Lord 
blest  him  more  than  he  had  done  before,  and  gave 
him  twice  as  much  wealth.  He  had  great  herds  of 
sheep,  and  cam-els,  and  ox-en  and  ass-es,  and  large 
fields  for  them  to  roam  in,  and  a  host  of  men  to  care 
for  them.  So  that  he  was  a  great  man  once  more. 

And  God  gave  him  ten  chil-dren :  sev-en  boys 
and  three  girls.  And  when  these  girls  grew  up, 
there  were  no  maids  in  all  the  land  so  fair  as  they  in 
face  and  form.  And  Job  had  great  peace  of  mind, 
and  dwelt  at  his  ease  for  long,  long  years ;  and  when 
he  died  he  was  an  old,  old  man. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


SAMUEL,    THE    CHILD    OF    GOD. 

THERE  was  a  man  of  Is-ra-el  who  went  up  each 
year  from  the  town  of 
Ra-mah  to  a  place  called 
Shi-loh  to  pay  his  vows 
to  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
And  his  wife,  whose 
name  was  Han-nah, 
went  with  him.  The 
man's  name  was  El-ka- 
nah. 

E-li  was  the  high- 
priest  at  that  time,  and 
as  he  sat  in  the  Lord's 
house  he  saw  Han-nah 
on  her  knees  with  her 
eyes  full  of  tears. 

And  he  spoke  to  her 
in  a  kind  voice,  and  said : 
May  God  grant  thee 
what  thou  dost  ask  of 
him.  And  Han-nah  was  glad  at  the  high-priest's 

words,  for  she  had  asked  God  to  give  her  a  son. 

139 


SAM-U-EL. 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

And  the  Lord  gave  Han-nah  a  son,  and  she 
called  his  name  Sam-u-el,  which  means  "Asked  of 
the  Lord." 

Sam-u-el  was  quite  young  when  Han-nah  took 
him  up  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  at  Shi-loh.  And 
when  they  brought  the  child  to  E-li,  Han-nah  said, 
I  am  the  wo-man  that  stood  by  thee  here  and  prayed 
to  the  Lord.  For  this  child  did  I  pray,  and  the 
Lord  heard  me  and  gave  me  what  I  asked  for.  So 
I  have  brought  him  to  the  Lord ;  so  long  as  he  lives 
shall  he  be  the  child  of  God.  For  this  was  the  vow 
she  made  if  God  would  give  her  a  son. 

A.nd  Sam-u-el  was  left  to  stay  with  E-li  in  the 
Lord's  house. 

Now  E-li  had  two  sons,  and  they  were  priests  in 
the  Lord's  house.  But  they  were  not  fit  for  the 
place,  for  they  were  bad  men,  and  broke  God's  laws. 
And  by  their  sins  they  kept  men  from  the  house  of 
the  Lord. 

But  Sam-u-el,  though  a  young  child,  did  what  was 
right  and  pleased  the  Lord.  And  his  moth-er  made 
him  a  coat,  and  brought  it  to  him  each  year  when 
she  and  her  hus-band  went  up  to  Shi-loh.  And  E-li 
spoke  kind  words  to  them,  and  asked  the  Lord  to 
bless  them  for  the  sake  of  the  child  whom  they  gave 
to  him. 

Now  E-li  was  an  old  man,  and  when  he  heard 


Samuel,  the  Child  of  God. 


141 


of  all  the  things  his  sons  had  done,  he  did  not  drive 
them  out  of  the  Lord's  house  as  he  should  have  done, 
but  let  them  go  on  in  their  sins.  He  cared  more  to 
please  his  sons  than  he 
did  to  please  the  Lord. 

One  night  when  E-li 
and  Sam-u-el  lay  down  to 
sleep,  the  child  heard  a 
voice  speak  his  name. 
And  he  said,  Here  am  I. 
And  he  got  up  and  ran 
to  E-li,  for  he  thought  it 
was  his  voice,  and  he  said, 
Here  am  I,  for  thou  did'st 
call  me. 

E-li  said,  I  did  not  call 
thee,  my  son.  Go  back, 
and  lie  down.  And  the 
lad  did  so. 

In  a  short  time  he 
heard  the  same  voice  say, 
Sam-u-el — Sam-u-el. 

And  he  rose  at  once 
and  went  to  E-li,  and  said 

to  him,  Here  am  I,  for  thou  did'st  call  me.  But 
E-li  said,  I  did  not  call  thee,  and  sent  the  lad  back 
to  his  bed  once  more. 


HAN-NAH   PRE-SENTS   SAM-U-EL  TO   E-U. 


142  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Then  Sam-u-el  heard  the  voice  a  third  time,  and 
went  to  E-li  and  said,  Here  am  I,  for  thou  did'st 
call  me. 

And  E-li  knew  it  was  the  Lord  who  spoke  to 
Sam-u-el.  And  he  said  to  the  lad,  Go,  lie  down,  and 
if  he  call  thee,  say,  Speak,  Lord,  for  I  hear  thee. 

And  Sam-u-el  went  and  lay  down.  And  the 
Lord  came  for  the  fourth  time,  and  called,  Sam-u-el 
-Sam-u-el ! 

And  Sam-u-el  said,  Speak,  Lord,  for  I  hear  thee. 

And  the  Lord  told  Sam-u-el  all  that  he  meant  to 
do  to  the  house  of  E-li.  He  had  let  his  sons  go  on 
in  their  sins,  and  they  were  to  be  put  to  death  in  a 
way  that  would  make  men  fear  God. 

Sam-u-el  lay  still  till  day-light.  Then  he  rose, 
but  did  not  dare  to  tell  E-li  what  God  had  told  him. 

But  E-li  called  him  and  said,  What  did  the  Lord 
say  to  thee?  I  pray  thee  hide  it  not  from  me. 

So  Sam-u-el  told  E-li  all  that  the  Lord  had  said. 
When  E-li  heard  it,  he  said,  It  is  the  Lord,  let  him 
do  what  he  thinks  is  best. 

And  Sam-u-el  grew,  and  the  Lord  was  with  him 
and  blest  him,  and  it  was  known  to  all  that  he  was 
one  of  God's  saints,  who  could  fore-tell  things  that 
were  to  take  place.  Such  wise  men  were  some-times 
called  seers. 

The  words  which  God  spoke  to  Sam-u-el  came 


Samuel,  tlie   Child  of  God.  143 

true;  for  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  went  out  to  fight 
the  Phil-is-tmes,  and  a  host  of  them  were  slain. 

Those  who  came  back  said,  Let  us  take  the  ark 
out  with  us  to  save  us  from  our  foes. 


CAP-TURE  OF  THE  ARK. 


Now  God  had  not  told  them  to  take  the  ark,  and 
it  was  a  sin  for  them  to  touch  it.  They  should  have 
put  their  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  looked  to  him  for  help. 


144  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

But  they  sent  to  Shi-loh  for  the  ark,  and  E-li's 
two  sons  came  with  it.  When  it  was  brought  to  the 
camp  the  Jews  gave  such  a  shout  that  the  earth  shook 
with  the  noise. 

And  when  the  Phil-is-tines  heard  it,  they  said, 
What  does  it  mean  ?  And  they  were  told  that  the  ark 
of  the  Lord  had  been  brought  to  the  camp  of  Is-ra-el. 

And  they  were  in  great  fear;  for  they  said,  God 
is  come  to  the  camp !  Woe  un-to  us,  for  this  is  the 
first  time  such  a  thing  has  been  done ! 

And  they  said,  Let  us  be  strong  and  fight  like 
men,  that  we  may  not  be  slaves  to  these  Jews! 

So  they  fought  once  more  with  the  Jews,  and 
slew  a  host  of  them,  and  the  rest  fled  to  their  tents. 
And  the  ark  of  the  Lord  fell  in-to  the  hands  of  the 
foe,  and  E-li's  two  sons  were  slain. 

And  the  same  day  a  man  ran  down  to  Shi-loh, 
with  his  clothes  rent,  and  bits  of  earth  on  his  head  to 
show  his  grief. 

E-li  sat  on  a  seat  by  the  way-side,  where  he  kept 
watch,  for  he  was  in  great  fear  lest  harm  should  come 
to  the  ark  of  God.  And  when  the  man  came  through 
the  crowd  and  told  that  the  ark  was  lost,  all  cried  out 
with  great  fear.  And  when  E-li  heard  the  noise,  he 
said,  What  is  it?  What  do  those  sounds  mean? 
For  his  eyes  were  dim  with  age,  and  he  could  not  see. 

And  the  man  ran  up  to  E-li  and  said,  I  am  he 


Samuel,  the  Child  of  God. 


H5 


that   came  out  of  the  fight,  and   I  fled  from  there 
to-day. 

And  E-li  said,  What  word  hast  thou,  my  son? 


THE   RE-TURN   OF   THE   ARK. 


And  he  said  that  Is-ra-el  had  been  put  to  flight 
with  great  loss,  his  two  sons  were  dead,  and  the  ark 
of  God  in  the  hands  of  the  Phil-is-tines. 

When  the  man  spoke  of  the  ark  of  God,  E-li  fell  off 


146  History  of  the  Old  Testament, 

the  seat  by  the  side  of  the  gate,  and  broke  his  neck, 
and  died  there.  And  he  had  been  a  high  priest  and 
a  judge  in  Is-ra-el  for  two-score  years. 

And  the  ark  of  God  was  with  the  Phil-is-tines 
for  more  than  half  the  year,  and  to  each  place  where 
it  was  sent  it  brought  great  grief. 

So  at  last  they  sent  for  their  wise  men,  and  said 
to  them,  What  shall  we  do  with  the  ark  of  the  Lord? 
To  what  place  shall  we  send  it? 

And  the  wise  men  told  them  to  make  a  new  cart, 
and  tie  two  cows  to  it,  but  to  bring  the  calves  home 
with  them.  Then  they  should  put  the  ark  on  the 
cart,  and  let  the  cows  draw  it  where  they  would. 

If  the  cows  should  leave  their  calves  and  go  down 
to  the  land  of  Is-ra-el,  it  would  be  a  sign  that  the 
Lord  was  their  guide,  and  that  he  had  sent  these  ills 
on  the  Phil-is-tines  for  their  great  sins. 

But  if  the  cows  did  not  take  the  ark,  it  would 
show  that  the  Lord  did  not  want  it  back,  and  that 
all  these  ills  they  had  to  bear  had  come  by  chance, 
and  were  not  sent  from  the  Lord. 

So  the  Phil-is-tines  did  as  their  wise  men  said. 
They  took  the  two  cows  and  tied  them  to  the  cart, 
and  shut  up  their  calves  at  home.  And  they  laid 
the  ark  on  the  cart,  and  let  the  cows  go  where  they 
chose. 

And  the  cows  took  the  straight  road  to  the  land 


Samuel,  the  Man  of  God.  147 

of  Is-ra-el  till  they  came  to  a  place  called  Beth-she- 
mesh. 

The  Jews  who  dwelt  there  were  out  in  the  wheat 
fields.  And  the  cows  brought  the  cart  to  the  fields  of 
a  man  named  Josh-u-a,  and  stood  there  by  a  great 
stone. 

Then  some  of  the  men  of  Le-vi  came  and  took 
the  ark  and  set  it  on  the  stone.  And  they  broke  up 
the  cart,  and  burnt  the  cows  as  a  gift  of  praise  to 
the  Lord. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SAMUEL     THE    MAN    OF    GOD. 

WHEN  E-li  died,  Sam-u-el  was  made  a  judge  in 
Is-ra-el.  And  he  went  from  place  to  place  to  teach 
men  the  law.  And  as  the  ark  had  not  been  brought 
back  to  Shi-loh,  Sam-u-el  built  an  al-tar  in  his  own 
house  and  served  God  there. 

The  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  set  up  strange  gods,  and 
the  Phil-is-tines  went  to  war  with  them.  And  Sam- 
u-el  told  them  to  give  up  their  false  gods  and  serve 
the  Lord,  and  he  would  save  them  from  their  foes. 
And  they  did  so.  And  he  said,  Come  up  to  Miz- 
peh,  and  I  will  pray  to  the  Lord  for  you. 


148  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

And  they  came  to  Miz-peh,  and  gave  their  hearts 
to  the  Lord,  and  were  in  grief  for  their  sins. 

And  when  the  Phil-is-tines  heard  they  were  at 
Miz-peh,  they  went  up  to  fight  them.  And  the 
chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  were  in  great  fear,  and  Sam-u-el 
plead  for  them,  and  when  the  fight  came  on  the  Lord 
sent  a  fierce  storm  that  put  the  Phil-is-tines  to  flight, 
and  they  fled  from  the  field  with  great  loss. 

And  Sam-u-el  set  up  a  stone  at  Miz-peh,  and  gave 
it  the  name  of  Eb-en-e-zer — "The  Stone  of  Help." 

When  Sam-u-el  was  an  old  man  he  set  his  two 
sons  to  judge  Is-ra-el.  But  his  sons  were  not  just 
men,  and  did  not  rule  as  their  fath-er  had  done.  If 
a  man  did  wrong,  they  would  say  it  was  right  if  he 
paid  them  for  it.  And  the  wise  men  came  to  Sam- 
u-el,  and  said  to  him,  As  thou  art  old,  and  thy  sons 
walk  not  in  thy  ways,  make  us  a  king  to  judge  us. 

Sam-u-el  felt  hurt  when  they  asked  him  to  choose 
a  king,  and  asked  the  Lord  to  tell  him  what  to  do. 

And  the  Lord  told  Sam-u-el  to  choose  a  king 
for  them. 

Now  there  was  a  man  whose  name  was  Kish, 
and  he  had  a  son  whose  name  was  Saul,  a  tall  young 
man  of  fine  form  and  good  looks. 

And  the  ass-es  of  Kish  were  lost.  And  he  said 
to  Saul,  his  son,  Take  one  of  the  men  with  you,  and 
go  find  the  ass-es. 


Samuel,  the  Man  of  God. 


149 


And  they  went  a  long  way  and  could  not  find 
them.  And  Saul  said  to  the  man  with  him,  Come, 
let  us  go  back,  lest  my  fath-er  think  we  are  lost. 


THE  STONE  OF  HELP. 


And  the  man  said  to  Saul,  There  is  a  man  of 
God  here,  and  what  he  says  is  sure  to  come  to  pass. 
It  may  be  that  he  can  tell  us  what  we  ought  to  do 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

Saul  said,  Thy  word  is  good ;  come,  let  us  go. 
And  they  went  to  the  town  where  Sam-u-el,  the  man 
of  God,  was.  And  they  met  him  on  their  way. 

And  the  Lord  made  it  known  to  Sam-u-el  that 
this  was  the  man  he  should  choose  to  reign  in  Is-ra-el. 

And  Saul  drew  near  to  Sam-u-el,  and  said,  Tell 
me,  I  pray  thee,  where  the  seer's  house  is. 

And  Sam-u-el  said,  I  am  the  seer;  and  the  ass-es 
that  were  lost  are  found.  And  he  took  Saul  and  his 
man  to  his  own  house,  and  made  them  spend  the 
night  there. 

The  next  day  Sam-u-el  took  Saul  to  the  roof  of 
his  house,  and  had  a  talk  with  him. 

Then  they  went  out  on  the  street,  and  as  they 
drew  near  the  gate  of  the  town,  Sam-u-el  said  to  Saul, 
Bid  thy  man  pass  on,  but  do  thou  stand  still  for  a 
while,  that  I  may  show  thee  the  word  of  God. 

Then  Sam-u-el  took  a  horn  of  oil  and  poured  it 
on  Saul's  head. 

This  was  done  when  a  man  was  made  a  high- 
priest;  and  the  same  thing  was  done  when  he  was 
made  a  king.  And  God  was  pleased  with  Saul,  and 
gave  him  a  new  heart ;  but  as  yet  none  but  these  two 
knew  that  Saul  was  to  be  King  of  the  Jews. 

Sam-u-el  spoke  to  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el  and 
told  them  once  more  all  that  the  Lord  had  done  for 
them,  how  he  had  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of 


Samuel,  the  Man  of  God. 

E-gypt,  and  set  them  free  from  their  foes,  and  yet 
they  would  not  serve  the  Lord,  but  cried  out  for  a 
king.  So  he  bade  them  all  go  up  to  Miz-peh  that 
the  Lord  might  choose  them  a  king. 

And  the 
Lord  chose 
Saul.  Butwhen 
the  men  went 
to  seek  for  him, 
they  could  not 
find  him.  And 
the  Lord  said, 
He  hath  hid  in 
the  midst  of  the 
stuff.  And  they 
ran  and  brought 
him  out,  and  he 
was  so  tall  that 
all  the  rest  had 
to  look  up  to 
him. 

And     Sam- 
u-el    said,  This 
is  he  whom  the  Lord  hath  sent  to  rule  thee.     There 
is  none  like  him,  as  thou  canst  see. 

And    they  all   cried    out,   God    save    the    king! 
Then   Sam-u-el   told   them  what    they  were  to  do, 


SAUL    IN   HIS    HID-ING    PLACE. 


152  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

and  how  the  king  was  to  rule,  and  wrote  it  down  in 
a  book. 

When  Saul  had  been  king  for  two  years,  he  set 
out  with  his  son,  Jon-a-than,  to  fight  the  Phil-is-tines. 
And  a  great  host  went  with  them.  And  the  Phil- 
is-tines  had  more  men  than  they  could  count.  And 
when  the  Jews  saw  the  strength  of  their  foes,  they 
were  in  great  fear,  and  ran  and  hid  in  caves  and  pits, 
or  fled  to  the  high  hills  where  the  rocks  would  screen 
them.  So  there  were  but  few  left  to  go  out  with 
Saul,  and  they  shook  with  dread. 

And  Saul  came  to  Gil-gal,  where  he  was  to  meet 
Sam-u-el,  but  he  was  not  there.  Sam-u-el  had  told 
him  to  wait  for  him,  and  he  would  tell  him  what  he 
was  to  do. 

But  at  the  end  of  a  week  Saul  had  the  flesh 
brought  to  him  and  laid  on  the  stone,  and  he  set  fire 
to  it,  that  the  flame  might  rise  to  God  and  bring 
peace  to  the  land.  And  as  soon  as  Saul  had  done 
this  thing,  Sam-u-el  came.  And  Saul  went  out  to 
meet  him,  that  he  might  bless  him. 

And  Sam-u-el  said,  What  hast  thou  done? 

And  Saul  told  of  the  strait  he  was  in,  and  that 
the  Phil-is-tines  were  near  in  great  force,  and  said 
that  when  Sam-u-el  did  not  come  he  felt  that  he  must 
send  up  a  plea  to  God  for  aid  in  this  hour. 

Sam-u-el    told    him    that   he    had  done    wrong. 


Samuel,  the  Man  of  God.  153 

When  the  Lord  told  him  to  wait,  he  should  wait. 
And  now  his  reign  would  be  a  short  one,  and  God 
would  choose  a  new  king  to  take  his  place. 

In  those  days  men  fought  with  bows  and  ar-rows. 
And  while  the  Jews  were  held  as  slaves  by  the 
Phil-is-tines  they  would  not  let  them  have  swords  or 
spears,  lest  they  should  rise  up  and  kill  them. 

And  they  sent  all  the  smiths  out  of  the  land,  lest 
they  should  make  these  things  for  the  chil-dren  of 
Is-ra-el. 

So  when  they  went  out  to  fight  none  of  them  had 
a  sword  or  a  spear  but  Saul  and  his  son. 

In  those  days  men  wore  coats  of  mail,  and  bore 
a  shield  with  them  so  as  to  ward  off  the  darts.  These 
shields  were  made  of  a  thick  piece  of  wood,  on  which 
the  skin  of  an  ox  was  stretched  when  dried. 

Jon-a-than,  Saul's  son,  wore  a  coat  of  mail,  and 
had  a  man  to  bear  his  spear  and  his  shield  when  he 
did  not  care  to  use  them.  And  he  said  to  his  man, 
Come,  let  us  go  to  the  camp  of  the  Phil-is-tines.  For 
it  may  be  that  the  Lord  will  help  us. 

And  the  man  said  he  would  go. 

Jon-a-than  said  this  should  be  their  sign:  They 
would  go  where  the  foe  could  see  them,  and  if  they 
said,  Wait  there  till  I  come  to  you,  they  would  know 
the  Lord  did  not  mean  to  help  them.  But  if  the 
Phil-is-tines  said,  Come  up  to  us  and  we  will  show 


1 54  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

you  some-thing,  they  would  go  up,  for  the  Lord 
would  be  with  them. 

So  Jon-a-than  and  his  man  stood  out  where  the 
foe  could  see  them.  And  the  Phil-is-tines  made 
sport  of  them,  and  cried  out,  Come  up  to  us,  and  we 
will  shew  you  some-thing. 

And  the  two  went  up  the  rocks  on  their  hands 
and  feet,  and  fought  with  the  Phil-is-tines,  and  slew 
a  score  of  them.  And  the  Lord  shook  the  earth,  so 
that  the  Phil-is-tines  were  in  great  fear. 

Now  Saul  and  the  men  who  were  with  him  did 
not  know  what  his  son  had  done.  But  his  watch- 
man, who  was  on  the  look-out,  saw  that  there  was  a 
fight  in  the  camp  of  the  Phil-is-tines,  and  told  Saul 
of  it. 

And  Saul  and  his  men  went  to  join  in  the  fight. 
And  all  those  who  had  hid  in  caves  and  holes,  or  up 
on  the  mount,  when  they  heard  that  the  Phil-is-tines 
had  fled,  went  with  Saul,  and  Is-ra-el  won  the  day. 

But  Saul  did  not  de-sire  to  please  the  Lord  in  all 
things.  For  when  the  Lord  sent  him  out  to  fight 
King  A-gag,  he  told  Saul  to  wipe  him  and  all  he  had 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  Saul  kept  back  some 
of  the  spoils,  the  best  of  the  sheep  and  lambs,  and 
did  not  put  the  king  to  death  as  he  should  have  done. 

And  the  Lord  told  Sam-u-el  that  Saul  was  not 
a  good  king,  and  his  reign  should  be  short. 


Samuel,  the  Man  of  God. 


'55 


And  it  made  Sam-u-el  sad  to  hear  this,  and  he 
prayed  to  God  all  night.     Then  he  had  a  talk  with 
Saul,    who    did  not 
look   at  his    sins   in 
the  right  light.    And 
Sam-u-el    told    him 
that    his     reign    as 
king  would  soon  be 
at  an  end. 

God  told  Sam- 
u-el  not  to  mourn 
for  Saul,  but  to  go 
down  to  Beth-le- 
hem,  to  the  house 
of  a  man  named 
Jes-se,  one  of  whose 
sons  was  to  be  made 
king.  And  the  Lord 
said  he  was  not  to 
look  for  one  with  a 
fine  face  or  form.  For 
the  Lord  sees  not  as 
man  sees,  and  he 
looks  on  the  heart. 

So  he  went  down  to  Beth-le-hem,  and  did  as  the 
Lord  told  him.  And  Jes-se  had  his  sev-en  sons 
pass  one  by  one  before  Sam-u-el.  And  Sam-u-el 


DA-VID   A-NOINT-ED   BY    SAM-U-EL. 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

thought  that  the  first-born  must  be  the  one  whom 
God  chose  to  be  king.  But  the  Lord  told  him  he 
was  not  the  one.  And  they  all  went  by,  and  nut 
one  of  them  was  the  one  on  whom  God  had  set  his 
seal. 

And  Sam-u-el  said  to  Jes-se,  Are  these  all  thy 
sons? 

And  Jes-se  said,  No  there  is  yet  one  left;  but  he 
is  quite  a.  lad,  and  is  now  in  the  field  where  he  cares 
for  the  sheep. 

And  Sam-u-el  told  Jes-se  to  send  for  him  at 
once.  And  Jes-se  sent  for  him,  and  he  was 
brought  in,  and  his  cheeks  were  red,  and  his  eyes 
bright.  And  the  Lord  said  to  Sam-u-el,  Rise — for 
this  is  he. 

And  Sam-u-el  rose,  and  took  the  horn  of  oil  and 
poured  it  on  the  young  man's  head.  So  the  Lord 
chose  Da-vid  to  be  king  when  Saul  should  be  put 
out  of  the  way. 

And  Da-vid  felt  a  great  change  in  his  heart,  for 
the  Lord  was  there  to  make  him  strong  and  wise, 
and  fit  for  the  high  place  he  was  to  fill. 

But  there  was  no  peace  in  Saul's  heart,  and  his 
mind  was  ill  at  ease. 

And  his  men  said  it  might  soothe  him  to  have 
some  one  play  on  the  harp,  For  sweet  sounds  will 
some-times  calm  the  mind. 


David  and  Saul.  Ic-y 

So  Saul  said,  Find  a  man  who  can  play  well  on 
the  harp,  and  bring  him  to  me. 

And  one  of  them  said  that  he  knew  such  a  man. 
He  was  the  son  of  Jes-se,  who  dwelt  at  Beth-le-hem, 
and  his  name  was  Da-vid. 

And  Saul  sent  men  to  Jes-se  and  told  him  to 
send  Da-vid,  his  son,  who  kept  the  sheep. 

And  Da-vid  came  to  Saul,  and  stayed  with  him 
to  wait  on  him.  And  when  Saul  was  sad  and  ill  at 
ease,  Da-vid  would  take  his  harp  and  play  for  him, 
and  he  would  soon  be  well. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

DAVID    AND    SAUL. 

WHILE  Saul  was  yet  king,  the  Phil-is-tines  came 
forth  once  more  to  fight  the  chil-dren  of  Is-ra-el. 
And  Saul  and  his  men  went  out  to  meet  them. 
There  were  two  high  hills  cu  each  side  of  a  deep 
vale,  and  from  these  two  hills  the  foe-men  fought. 

The  Phil-is-tines  had  on  their  side  a  man  who 
was  more  than  ten  feet  high.  He  wore  a  coat  of 
mail,  and  was  bound  with  brass  from  head  to  foot,  so 
that  no  sword  or  spear  could  wound  him. 

And  he  cried  out  to  Saul's  men,   Choose  a  man 


History  of  tke  Old  Testament. 

from  your  midst  and  let  him  come  down  to  me.  If 
he  can  fight  with  me  and  kill  me,  then  we  will,  be 
your  slaves.  But  if  I  kill  him  then  you  must  serve 
us.  I  dare  you  to  send  a  man  to  fight  with  me. 

When  Saul  and  his  men  heard  these  words  they 
were  in  great  fear,  for  there  was  no  one  in  their  ranks 
who  would  dare  fight  with  such  a  gi-ant. 

And  each  morn  and  eve,  for  more  than  a  month, 
this  great  man,  whose  name  was  Go-li-ath,  drew  near 
Saul  and  his  troops  and  dared  them  to  send  a  man 
out  to  fight  him. 

Now  when  the  war  broke  out  three  of  Jes-se's 
sons  went  with  Saul,  but  Da-vid  went  back  to  Beth- 
le-hem  to  feed  sheep. 

And  Jes-se  said  to  Da-vid,  Take  this  parched 
corn  and  these  ten  loaves  of  bread,  and  run  down  to 
camp  and  bring  me  back  word  how  thy  broth-ers 
are. 

And  Da-vid  rose  up  the  next  morn,  and  found 
some  one  to  take  care  of  his  sheep,  and  went  as  his 
fath-er  told  him. 

And  he  came  to  the  camp  just  as  the  men  were 
on  their  way  to  the  fight,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
their  shouts. 

And  he  left  the  goods  he  had  brought  in  the  care 
of  a  man,  and  ran  in  the  midst  of  the  troops,  and 
spoke  to  his  three  broth-ers. 


David  and  Saul. 


And  while  he  stood  there,  Go-li-ath  came  out 
from  the  ranks  of  the  Phil-is-tmes,  and  dared  some 
one  to  fight  with  him. 

And  Da-vid  heard  his  words.     And  the  men  of 
Is-ra-el    fled    from 
his  face.     And  Da- 
vid   heard    them 
speak  of  what  would 
be  done  to  the  man 
who    should    kill 
him ;   for  the   king 
would    give    him 
great   wealth,    and] 
set  him  in  a  high' 
place. 

And  Da-vid 
spoke  to  the  men 
near  him,  and  made 
use  of  strong  words. 

And  his  broth- 
ers told  him  to  go 

home  and  take  care  of  his  sheep,  for  it  was  just  a 
trick  of  his  to  come  up  to  camp  that  he  might  see 
the  fight. 

Da-vid  said,  I  have  done  no  wrong?  and  the  men 
to  whom  he  spoke  went  and  told  Saul  what  he  had 
said.  And  Saul  sent  for  him,  but  did  not  know 


DA-VID    BE-FORE   SAUL. 


160  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

that  he  was  the  same  one  who  used  to  play  on  the 
harp  for  him. 

And  Da-vid  told  Saul  he  would  go  out  and  fight 
the  great  man  from  Gath.  And  Saul  said,  Thou 
art  but  a  youth,  and  he  has  been  a  man  of  war  all 
his  days. 

Then  Da-vid  told  Saul  how  he  had  fought  with 
and  slain  the  wild  beasts  that  came  out  of  the  woods 
to  eat  up  the  lambs  of  his  flock.  And,  said  he,  this 
man  is  no  more  than  a  wild  beast,  and  the  Lord  will 
save  me  from  him  as  he  did  from  the  paw  of  the  li-on 
and  the  bear. 

And  Saul  said,  Go,  and  the  Lord  go  with  thee. 
And  Saul  put  on  him  a  coat  of  mail,  and  clothed 
him  in  brass  from  head  to  foot,  and  hung  a  sword  at 
his  side.  But  Da-vid  took  them  all  off,  and  said,  I 
have  not  tried  them,  and  can-not  use  them. 

And  he  took  his  staff  in  his  hand,  and  chose  five 
smooth  stones  from  the  brook  and  put  them  in  a  bag 
that  he  wore.  And  his  sling  was  in  his  hand  when 
he  drew  near  to  Go-li-ath. 

Go-li-ath  came  near  to  Da-vid,  and  when  he  .saw 
what  a  youth  he  was,  he  drew  up  his  head  with 
great  scorn. 

Da-vid  ran  to  meet  him,  and  put  his  hand  in  his 
bag  and  drew  forth  a  stone,  and  slung  it,  and  struck 
Go-li-ath  on  the  fore-head  with  such  force  that  the 


DA-VID    WITH   GO-LI- ATUS   HEAD. 


1 62  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

stone  sank  in  through  the  bone  and  he  fell  on  his 
face  to  the  earth. 

Then  Da-vid  ran  and  stood  on  Go-li-ath,  and 
drew  his  sword  from  its  sheath,  and  slew  him  and 
cut  off  his  head. 

And  when  the  Phil-is-tines  saw  that  the  man 
in  whom  they  had  put  their  trust  was  dead  they  fled. 

And  Da-vid  came  back  from  the  fight  with  the 
head  of  Go-li-ath  in  his  hand,  and  was  brought  to 
Saul. 

And  Saul  would  not  let  Da-vid  go  back  to  his  own 
home,  but  made  him  stay  with  him.  And  Jon-a- 
than  fell  in  love  with  him,  and  to  show  his  love,  took 
off  all  the  rich  clothes  he  had  on  and  put  them  on 
Da-vid,  and  gave  him  his  sword,  his  bow,  and  his 
belt.  And  Da-vid  did  as  Saul  told  him,  and  all  who 
saw  him  were  pleased  with  him,  and  Saul  put  him 
at  the  head  of  his  men  of  war. 

But  when  King  Saul  and  his  men  went  through 
the  towns  on  their  way  back  from  the  fight,  the  folks 
came  out  and  sang  and  danced  to  praise  them  for 
what  they  had  done. 

But  they  said  more  in  praise  of  Da-vid  than  of 
Saul,  and  when  Saul  heard  it  he  was  wroth,  and  from 
that  day  ceased  to  be  Da-vid's  friend. 

The  next  day  Da-vid  stood  near  Saul  with  his 
harp  in  his  hand  to  play  him  some  sweet  tunes. 


David  and  Saul. 


163 


And  Saul  held  a  spear  in  his  hand,  and  he  cast  it 

at  Da-vid  so  that  it  would  go  through  him  and  pin 

him    to    the  wall. 

But  Da-vid  saw  it 

and  took  a  step  one 

side,  and  it  did  him 

no  harm. 

Twice  was  this 
done,  and  when 
Saul  found  that  he 
could  not  hurt  Da- 
vid, he  was  in  great 
fear  of  him,  for  he 
knew  the  Lord  was 
with  him.  So  he 
drove  Da-vid  from 
his  house,  and  sent 
men  to  lay  in  wait 
to  kill  him. 

But  Da-vid  fled 
from  them  and  ran 
to  the  place  where 
Jon-a-than  was, 
and  said  to  him, 
What  have  I  done  that  the  king  seeks  my  life? 

Now  Jon-a-than  did  not  know  that  the  king  meant 
to  kill  Da-vid,  so  he  said  to  hirn,  Thou  shalt  not  die. 


JON-A-THAN    AND    DA-VIU. 


164  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

My  fath-er  would  have  told  me  if  he  meant  to  kill 
thee.      But  Da-vid  said  it  was  true. 

The  next  day  was  to  be  a  feast  day,  and  the 
king  would  look  for  Dav-id  to  come  and  eat  with 
him.  But  Da-vid  was  in  such  fear  of  Saul  that  he 
did  not  care  to  go,  and  begged  Jon-a-than  to  let  him 
hide  him-self  for  three  days.  If  the  king  asks  where 
I  am,  said  Da-vid,  tell  him  that  thou  did'st  give  me 
leave  to  go  home. 

Jon-a-than  told  Da-vid  that  at  the  end  of  the  three 
days  he  should  come  and  hide  in  the  field  near  a  rock 
that  was  there.  And  Jon-a-than  said  he  would  shoot 
three  ar-rows  as  if  he  took  aim  at  a  mark.  And  he 
would  send  a  lad  out  to  pick  them  up.  And  if  he 
said  to  the  lad,  Go,  find  them,  they  are  on  this 
side  of  thee,  then  Da-vid  might  know  that  all  was  at 
peace  and  the  king  would  do  him  no  harm.  But  if 
he  should  cry  out  that  the  darts  were  be-yond  the  lad, 
then  Da-vid  would  know  that  he  must  flee,  for  the 
king  meant  to  do  him  harm. 

So  Da-vid  hid  him-self  in  the  field  ;  and  when 
the  feast  day  came  Saul  sat  down  to  eat  with  his  back 
to  the  wall.  And  he  saw  that  Da-vid  was  not  in  his 
place,  but  said  not  a  word.  The  next  day  when  he 
found  Da-vid  was  not  in  his  place,  Saul  said  to  his 
son,  Why  comes  not  Da-vid  to  eat  these  two  days? 

Jon-a-than  said  that  Da-vid   plead  so   hard    for 


David  and  Saul. 


leave  to  go  home  to  his  own  folks,  that  he  had  told 
him  to  go,  and  that  was  why  he  was  not  at  the  feast. 

Then  Saul  was 
in  a  great  rage, 
and  said  to  his 
son,  As  long  as 
Da-vid  lives  thou 
canst  not  be  a 
king.  Send  for 
him,  and  bring 
him  here  that  he 
may  be  put  to 
death. 

And  Jon-a- 
than  said,  Why 
should  he  be 
slain  ?  What  hath 
he  done  ? 

Saul  threw 
his  spear  at  Jon- 
a-than.  And  the 
young  man  knew 
by  this  that  the 
king  meant  to  kill 
Da-vid.  So  the  next  morn  the  king's  son  went  out 
to  the  field,  and  took  a  lad  with  him.  And  he  said, 
Run  now,  and  pick  up  the  ar-rows  that  I  shoot 


JON-A-THAN    SHOOT-ING   THE   AR-ROWS. 


1 66  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

And  as  he  ran,  Jon-a-than  sent  a  dart  o'er  his 
head;  and  when  the  lad  came  to  the  place -where  it 
fell,  the  king's  son  cried  out,  It  is  be-yond  thee. 
Make  haste,  and  stay  not. 

Da-vid  heard  these  words  and  knew  that  he  must 
flee,  for  if  Saul  caught  him  he  would  kill  him. 

The  lad  brought  the  darts  to  Jon-a-than,  and  did 
not  know  why  the  king's  son  had  shot  them  and  called 
out  to  him  as  he  did.  And  Jon-a-than  gave  him  his 
bow  and  ar-rows,  and  sent  him  back  to  town  with 
them. 

As  soon  as  the  lad  was  £one,  Da-vid  came  out 

o 

from  the  place  where  he  was  hid,  and  fell  on  his  face 
to  the  ground,  and  bowed  three  times.  Then  he 
rose  and  threw  his  arms  round  Jon-a-than's  neck, 
and  the  two  friends  wept  as  if  their  hearts  would  break. 

Then  Da-vid  fled  from  Saul,  and  hid  in  the  woods 
and  caves. 

Saul  went  out  with  a  large  force  of  men  to  seek 
Da-vid  on  the  rocks  where  the  wild  goats  fed. 
And  Saul  came  to  a  cave,  and  went  in  to  lie  down 
and  rest. 

Da-vid  and  his  men  were  in  the  cave,  but  Saul 
could  not  see  them.  And  the  men  wished  to  kill 
Saul ;  but  Da-vid  would  not  let  them.  While  he 
was  there  Da-vid  stole  up  to  Saul  and  cut  off  a  piece 
of  his  robe.  And  Saul  did  not  know  it. 


DA-VID  AND  SAtJU 


1 68  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

When  Saul  we,nt  out  of  the  cave,  Da-vid  went 
out  af-ter  him  and  cried  out,  My  lord  and  my  king ! 

And  when  Saul  looked  back,  Da-vid  bowed  down 
to  him  with  his  face  to  the  earth.  And  he  told  Saul 
to  pay  no  heed  to  those  who  said  he  meant  to  harm 
the  king.  For  if  he  had  sought  to  kill  Saul  he  might 
have  done  so  that  day  while  he  was  in  the  cave. 
And  Da-vid  showed  Saul  the  piece  of  his  robe  he 
had  cut  off. 

And  some  bade  me  kill  thee,  said  Da-vid,  but  I 
would  not,  for  thou  art  my  lord  and  my  king.  Then 
Da-vid  held  up  the  piece  of"  cloth  he  had  cut  from 
Saul's  robe,  and  said,  Since  I  was  so  near  thee  as 
to  cut  this  off  and  did  not.  kill  thee,  thou  may'st  know 
that  I  have  no  wish  to  harm  thee.  Yet  thou  dost 
hunt  for  me  to  kill  me.  Let  the  Lord  judge  'twixt 
thee  and  me,  and  save  me  from  thy  hand,  and  save 
thee  as  he  will,  for  I  will  not  harm  thee. 

When  Saul  heard  Da-vid  speak  thus,  all  hate 
went  out  of  his  heart,  and  he  wept  as  he  said,  Thou 
hast  done  good  to  me  for  the  wrongs  I  did  thee,  and 
may  the  Lord  bless  thee  for  it.  Now  I  know  that 
thou  wilt  some  day  be  the  king  of  Is-ra-el. 

And  Saul  went  home,  and  Da-vid  and  his  men 
went  back  to  the  cave. 

But  Da-vid  knew  that  he  could  not  trust  Saul,  so 
he  fled  to  the  land  of  the  Phil-is-tines,  and  he 


David  and  Saul. 


169 


and  his  men  dwelt  there  in   the  town  of   Gath  for 
the  space  of  a  year  and  four  months. 

While  he  was 
there,  the  Phil-is-tines 
went  out  to  fight  with 
Saul  once  more,  and 
when  he  saw  what  a 
host  of  them  there 
was,  his  heart  shook 
with  fear.  He  asked 
the  Lord  what  he 
should  do,  but  the 
Lord  did  not  come 
to  him  in  dreams,  or 
speak  one  word  to  him. 

S  a  m  -  u  -  e  1  was 
dead,  and  the  Lord 
had  said  it  was  a  sin 
to  go  to  a  witch,  or  a 
seer,  to  find  out  the 
things  that  would 
take  place,  and  Saul 
had  sent  all  these 
folks  out  of  the  land. 

But  now  he  was  in  such  a  strait  that  he  felt  he 
must  have  help  of  some  sort.  And  one  of  his  men 
told  him  there  was  at  En-dor  a  witch  who  could  work 


DA-VID  TAKES  GO-LI-ATH's  SWORD. 


1 70  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

strange  charms,  and  fore-tell  what  was  to  take  place. 
So  the  king  drest  him-self  so  that  he  would  not  be 
known,  and  went  at  night  with  two  of  his  men  to  see 
the  witch  of  En-dor.  And  he  said  to  her,  Bring  me 
up  him  whom  I  shall  name  to  thee. 

And  the  witch  said  to  him,  Dost  thou  not  know 
that  Saul  has  sent  all  those  that  work  charms  out  ot 
the  land?  And  why  dost  thou  set  a  snare  for  my 
life,  so  that  I  will  be  put  to  death  ? 

And  Saul  said,  As  the  Lord  lives  there  shall  no 
harm  come  to  thee  for  this  thing. 

Then  the  witch  said,  Whom  shall  I  bring  up  to 
thee?  And  he  said,  Bring  me  Sam-u-el. 

So'the  witch  ma^le  strange  signs  and  spoke  strange 
words,  and  swept  her  wand  round  and  round.  And 
when  she  saw  the  form  of  Sam-u-el  rise  up,  she  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  Why  did'st  thou  not  tell  me  the 
truth?  for  thou  art  Srml ! 

And  the  king  said,  Have  no  fear.  What  did'st 
thou  see? 

And  the  witch  c^id,  I  saw  an  old  man  with  a 
cloak  round  him. 

And  Saul  knew  it  was  Sam-u-el,  and  bowed  his 
face  to  the  ground.  And  Sam-u-el  said,  Why  hast 
thou  brought  me  up?  And  Saul  told  him  that  he 
was  in  'a  great  strait,  that  God  had  left  him,  and  did 
not  come  to  him  in  dreams  or  by  the  hand  of  wise 


David  and  Saul.  17* 

men,  and  he  thought  that  Sam-u-el  might  tell  him 
what  to  do. 

Sam-u-el  said,  Why  then  dost  thou  ask  of  me  if 
the  Lord  hath  left  thee?  He  hath  done  to  theejust 
as  he  said  he  would.  Thy  reign  is  at  an  end,  and 
Da-vid  shall  rule  in  thy  stead.  And  he  told  Saul 
that  the  next  day  he  and  his  sons  would  be  dead, 
and  Is-ra-el  in  the  hands  of  the  foes. 

When  Saul  heard  these  words  he  fell  down  in  a 
swoon,  for  he  had  had  no  food  for  a  day  and  a  night. 

And  the  witch  brought  bread  and  bade  him  eat, 
that  he  might  have  strength  to  go  on  his  way.  And 
Saul  and  his  men  ate  of  the  food,  and  went  their  way 
that  night. 

Now  the  lords  of  the  Phil-is-tines  brought  all 
their  troops  to  a  place  called  A-phek.  And  the  king 
of  Gath  went  there,  and  took  Da-vid  and  his  men 
with  him.  But  the  lords  of  the  Phil-is-tines  would 
not  hr.vc  the  Jews  in  their  midst  lest  they  should  turn 
on  them  and  give  them  in-to  the  hands  of  king  Saul. 

So  Da-vid  and  his  men  had  to  leave  the  camp, 
and  the  Phil-is-tines  went  out  to  fight,  and  the  men 
of  Is-ra-el  fled  from  them  with  great  loss.  The  king's 
three  sons  were  slain,  and  an  ar-row  struck  Saul  and 
gave  him  a  bad  wound. 

And  Saul  said  to  the  man  who  bore  his  shield, 
Draw  thy  sworu  and  put  me  to  death.  But  the  man 


iy3  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

did  not  dare  to  kill  his  king.  So  Saul  took  his  own 
sword  and  fell  on  it,  and  thus  died  by  his  own  hand. 
And  when  the  man  saw  that  Saul  was  dead,  he  fell 
on  his  sword  and  died  with  him. 

And  when  it  was  known  that  Saul  and  his  sons 
were  dead,  the  Jews  fled  from  that  part  of  the  land, 
and  the  Phil-is-tines  went  to  live  there. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years  Da-vid  was  made 
king  of  Is-ra-el,  and  then  went  to  live  at  Je-ru-sa-lem. 
He  went  to  war,  and  took  spoils  of  rich  kings,  and 
the  Lord  was  with  him,  for  he  sought  to  do  that 
which  was  right  and  just. 

Da-vid  had  two  sons :  Sol-o-mon  and  Ab-sa-lom. 

And  in  all  the  land  there  was  no  man  with  such 
a  fine  face  and  form  as  Ab-sa-lom,  and  he  won  much 
praise  for  his  good  looks.  And  he  had  a  thick 
growth  of  long  hair.  But  Ab-sa-lom  had  a  bad 
heart,  and  his  sins  made  Da-vid  weep.  But  he  did 
not  scold  Ab-sa-lom  as  he  should  have  done,  for  the 
king  was  fond  of  his  son,  and  so  Ab-sa-lom  went  on 
from  bad  to  worse. 

He  told  what  he  would  do  when  he  was  king, 
and  made  friends  with  those  who  thought  it  a  fine 
thing  to  be  on  good  terms  with  the  king's  son. 

When  he  was  two-score  years  of  age,  Ab-sa-lom 
said  to  the  king,  Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  go  up  to  Heb- 
ron to  pay  my  vows. 


David  and  Saul. 


173 


And  Da-vid  told  him  to  go.  But  it  was  not  to 
serve  the  Lord  that  Ab-sa-lom  went,  but  to  have 
him-self  made  king 
in-stead  of  Da-vid. 
And  he  took  ten  score 
men  with  him,  who 
did  not  know  why  or 
where  they  went,  and 
sent  spies  all  through 
the  land  to  speak  in 
his  praise  and  urge 
that  he  be  made  king. 

And  when  Da-vid 
heard  of  it  he  said  to 
his  men,  Rise,  let  us 
flee  from  this  place, 
lest  Ab-sa-lom  come 
and  put  us  to  death. 

And  they  all  fled 
from  Je-ru-sa-lem,and 
went  to  hide  in  some 
lone  place.  And 
when  Ab-sa-lom  came 
to  Je-ru-sa-lem  he 
went  to  one  of  Da-vid's  friends  and  asked  him  what 
he  should  do  to  be  made  king.  A-hith-o-phel,  who 
had  once  been  a  friend  of  Da-vid,  and  had  now  gone 


DA-VID    FOR-G1V-ING    AB-SA-LOM. 


174  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

with  the  king's  ^on,  had  said  that  he  would  go  out 
with  a  large  force  and  come  up  with  Da-vid  when  he 
was  weak  and  faint,  so  that  he  would  be  in  a  great 
fright.  Those  who  were  with  Da-vid  would  flee, 
and  he  would  soon  put  the  king  to  death.  Then,  of 
course,  Ab-sa-lom  would  be  king. 

But  Ab-sa-lom  would  not  do  this  till  he  had  heard 
what  Hu-sha-i  said.  Now  Hu-sha-i  was  a  true  friend 
of  Da-vid,  and  he  told  Ab-sa-lom  to  take  more  men 
than  A-hith-o-phel  had  said,  for  he  thought  that 
would  give  Da-vid  a  chance  to  get  out  of  the  way. 
And  Hu-sha-i  sent  two  young  men  to  tell  Da-vid  not 
to  stop  on  the  plains  that  night,  but  to  cross  the  Jor- 
dan, lest  he  and  all  who  were  with  him  should  be 
put  to  death. 

But  a  boy  saw  the  two  sons  of  the  high-priest  who 
were  on  their  way  to  Da-vid,  and  went  and  told  Ab- 
sa-lom.  And  the  priest's  sons  ran  to  a  house  near 
by,  and  hid  in  the  well.  And  the  woman  who  kept 
the  house  spread  corn  on  top  so  that  no  one  could 
see  that  a  well  was  there. 

And  when  Ab-sa-lom's  men  came  up  and  asked 
the  wo-man  where  the  priest's  sons  were,  she  said 
they  had  gone  on  past  the  brook  Ked-ron.  And 
when  the  two  could  not  be  found  the  men  went  back. 

Then  the  priest's  sons  came  up  out  of  the  well, 
and  made  haste  to  give  to  Da-vid  the  word  that  Hu- 


David  and  Saul. 


sha-i  had  sent.     And   at  dawn   Da-vid   and  all  his 
men  crossed  the  Jor-dan. 

As  soon  as  Ab-sa-lom  had  all  the  men  he  thought 
he  would  need,  he  set  out  to  fight  with  Da-vid.  And 
Da-vid  drew  up  his  men  in  line,  and  put  Jo-ab  at 
their  head.  And  the  king 
said,  I  will  go  out  with 
you.  But  the  men  said 
he  should  not;  so  Da-vid 
staid  by  the  gate  and  saw 
them  go  out  to  the  fight, 
and  bade  them  be  kind  to 
Ab-sa-lom  for  his  sake. 

The  fight  took  place  in 
a  wood.  Ab-sa-lom  rode 
on  a  mule,  and  as  the  mule 
passed  'neath  a  great  oak, 
Ab-sa-lom's  head  caught 
in  a  branch,  and  he  hung 
in  mid  air,  while  the  mule 
went  off  down  the  road. 

And  a  man  saw  it  and  told  Jo-ab.  And  Jo-ab 
said,  Why  did'st  thou  not  kill  him  ?  And  the  man 
said  he  would  not  kill  the  king's  son,  for  he  had  heard 
Da-vid  ask  them  to  be  kind  to  him. 

But  Jo-ab  said,  I  can-not  waste  time  with  thee. 
And  he  took  three  darts  in  his  hand  and  thrust  them 


THE   DEATH    OF   AB-SA-LOM. 


176 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 


througn  Ab-sa-lom,  so  that  he  died.  And  he  was 
thrown  in-to  a  pit  that  was  in  the  wood,  and  a  great 
heap  of  stones  was  piled  on  him.  And  all  the  men 

who  had  been  with 
him  went  back  to 
their  tents. 

Da-vid  sat  in 
the  gate,  and  when 
men  came  back 
with  news  of  the 
fight,  he  would  ask 
of  each  one,  Is 
Ab-sa-lom  safe? 
And  at  last  one  of 
them  said,  May  all 
the  king's  foes  be 
as  this  young  man 
is.  Then  Da-vid 
knew  that  Ab-sa- 
lom  was  dead,  and 
he  went  to  his  own 
room  and  wept. 

And  he  cried 
out  with  a  loud 
voice,  O,  my  son,  Ab-sa-lom ;  my  son,  my  son  Ab- 
sa-lom  !  I  would  that  God  had  let  me  die  in  thy 
stead,  O,  Ab-sa-lom,  my  son,  my  son ! 


DA-VID   HEAR-ING    OF   AB-SA-LOM'S    DEATH. 


Solomon,   the    Wise  Man.  177 

Da-vid  was  king  for  two-score  years,  and  was  an 
old  man  when  he  died  and  had  hosts  of  friends. 
And  when  he  felt  that  his  death  was  near,  he  bade 
his  men  take  Sol-o-mon  to  a  place  called  Gi-hon,  and 
pour  oil  on  his  head.  Then  they  were  to  blow  the 
horn  and  cry  out,  God  save  King  Sol-o-mon. 

And  this  was  done ;  and  when  Da-vid  died,  Sol- 
o-mon  sat  on  his  throne  and  ruled  Is-ra-el. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SOLOMON,    THE    WISE    MAN. 

SOL-O-MON  gave  his  heart  to  God  when  he  was 
young,  and  tried  to  lead  a  good  life,  and  to  do  no 
wrong.  And  God  spoke  to  him  in  a  dream  one 
night  and  said,  Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee. 

And  Sol-o-mon  said,  Grant  me,  I  pray  thee  a 
wise  mind  that  I  may  know  right  from  wrong,  and 
judge  well  those  who  look  up  to  me  as  their  king. 

This  speech  pleased  the  Lord,  and  he  said,  Since 
thou  didst  not  ask  me  for  great  wealth,  or  for  long 
life,  or  that  thy  foes  might  be  put  to  death,  I  will 
make  thee  wise,  and  will  give  thee  both  great  wealth 
and  a  long  life  if  thou  wilt  serve  me  and  keep  my 
laws. 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 


There  came  two  women  to  the  king.  And  one 
of  them  said,  My  lord,  I  and  this  wo-men  live  in  one 
house,  and  we  each  of  us  had  a  son.  And  this  wo- 
man's child  died 
in  the  night,  and 
while  I  slept  she 
came  and  took 
my  child  from 
me,  and  laid  her 
own  child  by  my 
side.  And  when 
I  woke,  and  went 
to  feed  my  child, 
itwasdead.  And 
I  knew  it  was  not 
my  son. 

It  is  your 
son. 

It  is  not;  the 
child  that  lives 
is  mine. 

The     dead 

THE   JUDG-MENT   OF   SOL-O-MON.  CHllCl      IS     yOUTS. 

In    this  way 

they  spoke,  and  the  king  heard  them,  and  said,  Bring 
me  a  sword ! 

And  a  sword  was  brought  to  him. 


Solomon,  the   Wise  Man. 


179 


And  the  king  said,  Cut  the  live  child  in  two, 
and  give  half  to  one  and  half  to  the  other. 

When  the  real  moth-er  of  the  child  heard  these 
words  she  cried 
out,  O  my  lord, 
give  her  the 
child,  but  do  not 
kill  it. 

But  the  oth- 
er said,  Cut  it  in 
half,  and  let  it 
be  hers 


not 


or 


mine. 

Then  the 
king  told  his 
men  to  give  the 
child  to  the  one 
who  tried  to 
save  its  life,  for 
he  knew  that 
she  was  the 
moth-er.  And 
it  was  to  find 
this  out  that  he 

sent  the  men  for  the    sword,   and   not  to  take  the 
child's  life. 

When  Sol-o-mon  had  been  king  for  four  years, 


SHIPS    OF    SOL-O-MON. 


180  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

he  laid  out  the  plan  that  Da-vid  had  made  for  the 
house  of  the  Lord. 

He  had  a  talk  with  Hi-ram  the  king  of  Tyre,  and 
told  him  that  it  was  time  to  build  the  house.  And 
the  king  of  Tyre  was  glad,  and  did  all  he  could  to 
aid  him.  He  sent  Sol-o-mon  great  trees  from  the 
woods,  and  sent  him  men  to  help  in  the  work ;  men 
who  had  skill  with  the  ax,  and  with  fine  tools  of  all 
sorts. 

The  house  was  built  of  stone,  and  each  stone  was 
hewn  from  the  rock,  cut  so  as  to  fit  in  the  wall  ere 
it  was  brought  to  the  place  where  it  was  to  stand,  so 
that  no  ax  nor  tools  should  be  used  in  the  house  when 
it  was  put  up. 

The  walls  of  the  rooms  were  in-laid  with  gold, 
and  gems,  and  the  floor  of  the  place  where  the  ark 
was  kept  was  of  pure  gold,  and  in  front  of  the  shrine 
were  loops  and  chains  of  fine  gold. 

The  doors  of  the  house  were  made  of  the  wood 
of  the  fir  tree,  and  they  were  carved  with  great  skill, 
and  touched  up  with  gold. 

It  took  Sol-o-mon  sev-en  years  to  build  the  house 
of  the  Lord;  and  when  it  was  done  he  made  a  feast, 
and  the  priests  brought  the  ark  of  the  Lord  from 
Mount  Zi-on,  where  Da-vid  kept  it. 

And  all  the  tribes  of  Is-ra-el  came  to  Je-ru-sa-lem, 
that  they  might  be  there  when  the  ark  was  brought. 


Solomon,  the    Wise  Man. 


181 


And  when  the  ark  was  put  in  its  place,  and  the 
priests  came  out,  there  was  such  a  cloud  in  the  house 
that  all  stood  still.  For  the  Lord  was  in  the  cloud. 

Then  Sol-o- 
mon  stood  up,  and 
with  raised  hands 
asked  him  to  come 
down  and  dwell  in 
the  house,  and  to 
dwell  in  men's 
hearts,  that  they 
might  walk  in  the 
right  way,  and  love 
God  all  their  days. 

Now  the  fame 
of  Sol-o-mon  came 
to  the  ears  of  a  rich 
queen,  who  dwelt 
at  She-ba,  and  she 
thought  she  would 
like  to  see  if  this 
man  was  as  wise 
and  rich  as  he  was 
said  to  be.  She 
had  a  long  way  to  come,  and  a  great  train  came  with 
her,  and  these  brought  loads  of  rich  spice,  and 
gold  and  sil-ver  and  gems  of  worth.  And  the  queen 


QUEEN   OF    SHE-BA. 


1 82  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

had  a  talk  with   Sol-omon  and  he  told  her  all  she 
ought  to  know. 

And  she  said  to  the  king,  What  I  had  heard  of 
thee  in  my  own  lands  I  did  not  think  could  be  true. 
So  I  came  to  see  for  my-self,  and  I  find  the  half 
was  not  told  me.  So  she  gave  rich  gifts  to  Sol-o- 
mon, and  he  gave  rich  gifts  to  her,  and  the  queen 
went  back  to  her  own  land. 

Now  it  was  thought  no  sin  in  those  days  for  a 
man  to  have  more  than  one  wife.  And  some  of  Sol- 
o-mon's  wives  had  been  brought  up  to  serve  false 
gods.  And  it  was  a  sin  for  the  king  to  wed  with 
such.  And  as  he  grew  old  these  wives  made  him 
serve  their  Gods,  and  turn  from  the  true  God  whom 
he  had  been  taught  to  love  and  fear. 

And  this  did  not  please  the  Lord,  and  he  said 
that  Sol-o-mon's  son  should  not  be  king  when  Sol-o- 
mon died.  For  Da-vid's  sake  he  would  let  him  be 
a  prince  of  two  tribes  all  the  days  of  his  life.  But 
ten  tribes  he  would  take  from  him. 

And  foes  rose  up  to  plague  Sol-o-mon,  and  for 
his  sins  he  had  to  give  up  the  peace  and  rest  that 
had  long  been  his.  When  he  had  been  king  for  two- 
score  years  Sol-o-mon  died,  and  his  fame  has  come 
down  to  this  day,  for  no  man  has  been  born  in-to  the 
world  so  wise  and  great  as  King  Sol-o-mon. 


.     CHAPTER  XVI. 

ELIJAH. 


A-HAB  was  the  last  of  the  six  kings  who  ruled  the 
ten  tribes.  And  he  made  them  serve  Ba-al,  and 
built  a  house  for  this  false  god. 

These  acts  did  not  please  God,  so  he  sent  E-li- 
jah,  a  seer,  to  tell  A-hab  that  for  years  and  years 
there  should  be  no  rain  in  the  land.  And  he  told 
E-li-jah  to  hide  near  a  brook  from  which  he  should 
drink,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  would  bring  him 
food  to  eat. 

E-li-jah  did  as  the  Lord  told  him,  and  he  drank 
from  the  brook,  and  the  birds  brought  him  his  food 
from  day  to  day.  But  as  there  was  no  rain,  the 
brook  dried  up,  and  there  was  lack  of  food  in  the  land. 

So  the  Lord  told  Elijah  to  go  to  the  town  of  Za- 
re-phath,  where  a  wo-man  dwelt  who  would  give  him 
food. 

And  when  E-li-jah  came  to  the  gate  of  the  town, 
a  poor  wo-man  drew  near  him  to  pick  up  some  sticks. 
And  he  said  to  her,  Bring  me  a  drink,  I  pray  thee. 

And  as  she  went,  he  said,  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee, 
a  bit  of  bread  in  thine  hand. 

183 


1*4 


B-LI-tAH    FED    BY    RA-VKNS. 


Elijah. 


And  she  said,  As  the  Lord  lives,  I  have  no  bread 
in  the  house,  and  but  a  hand-ful  of  meal,  and  a  few 
drops  of  oil.  And  I  came  out  to  pick  up  a  few  sticks 
that  I  might  light  the  fire,  and  bake  a  small  loaf  for 
me  and  my  son,  that  we 
may  eat  it  and  die. 

E-li-jah  said,  Fear 
not ;  go  and  do  as  thou 
hast  said.  But  first  make 
me  a  small  loaf,  and  then 
make  one  for  thee  and 
thy  son.  For  thus  saith 
the  Lord,  The  meal  shall 
not  waste,  nor  the  cruse 
of  oil  fail  till  the  day  the 
Lord  sends  rain  on  the 
earth. 

So  the  wo-man  went 
her  way  and  did  as  E-li- 
jah  told  her,  and  there  was 
from  that  time  no  lack  of 

food  in  her  house.     But          EL,JAH  AND  THE  WID.OW,S  CH1LD< 
one  day  her  son  was  ill, 
and  he  grew  worse  and  worse,  and  then  died. 

When  E-li-jah  heard  of  it,  he  said,  Give  me  thy' 
son.  And  he  took  the  child  from  her  arms  and  bore 
him  to  his  own  room,  and  laid  him  on  his  bed. 


1 86  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

And  E-li-jah  cried  to  the  Lord,  and  said,  O  Lord, 
I  pray  thee  let  this  child's  soul  come  back  to  him. 

And  the  Lord  sent  back  the  soul  of  the  child, 
and  E-li-jah  took  the  boy  and  brought  him  to  his 
moth-er. 

And  she  said  to  E-li-jah,  Now  by  this  I  know 
that  thou  art  a  man  of  God,  and  that  the  word  of  the 
Lord  in  thy  mouth  is  truth. 

For  three  years  there  had  been  no  rain  in  the 
land,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  Lord  said  to 
E-li-jah,  Go  show  thy-self  to  A-hab,  and  I  will  send 
rain  on  the  land. 

So  E-li-jah  went,  and  on  the  way  he  met  with 
one  of  A-hab's  head  men,  who  loved  the  Lord.  He 
knew  E-li-jah,  and  bade  him  turn  back,  for  the  king 
would  be  sure  to  put  him  to  death.  But  E-li-jah 
said  that  he  would  shew  him-self  to  A-hab  that  day. 
So  the  man  told  the  king  that  E-li-jah  was  near,  and 
the  king  came  out  to  meet  him. 

And  he  found  fault  with  E-li-jah,  for  he  thought 
he  was  to  blame  for  the  lack  of  food,  and  for  the 
long  drouth. 

E-li-jah  told  the  king  to  have  all  those  he  ruled 
meet  in  a  mass  at  one  place.  And  when  they  came 
there,  E-li-jah  cried  out  to  them,  How  long  will  ye 
turn  your  hearts  from  God  ? 

And  he  told  them  to  prove  which  was  the  true 


Elijah. 


187 


God,  Ba-al,  or  E-li-jah's  God.  And  he  told  them  to 
bring  two  young  bulls,  and  to  take  the  flesh  of  one 
and  lay  it  on  the  wood  in  front  of  Ba-al,  and  he  would 
lay  the  flesh  of  the  oth- 
er young  bull  on  the 
Lord's  al-tar.  And  he 
said,  Call  ye  on  your 
gods  and  I  will  call  on 
mine,  and  let  the  God 
that  sends  down  fire  be 
the  God  whom  we  all 
shall  serve. 

And  they  said  it  was 
a  good  plan. 

So  they  cried  out 
from  sun-rise  till  noon,  O 
Ba-al,  hear  us!  But 
there  was  no  voice  or 
sign  that  their  god  heard 
them. 

E-li-jah  said,  Cry 
with  a  loud  voice,  for  he 
is  a  god.  He  may  be 
asleep,  or  lost  in  thought. 

And  they  cried,  and  made  a  great  noise,  and  at 
last  fought  with  their  knives  till  they  drew  blood. 

And  E-li-jah  said,  Come  near  me. 


THE   LIT-TLE   CLOUD. 


1 88  History  of 'the   Old   Testament. 

And  they  all  came  near  to  him. 

And  E-li-jah  took  twelve  stones,  and  built  an  al- 
tar to  the  Lord.  And  he  put  the  flesh  and  the  wood 
on  it,  and  the  wood  was  wet  through  and  through. 

Then  he  cried  out,  Hear  me,  O  Lord,  hear  me, 
and  let  it  be  known  that  thou  art  the  true  God. 

Then  fire  came  down  from  on  high  and  burnt  up 
the  flesh,  and  the  wood  and  the  stones,  and  the  dust; 
and  the  ground  that  had  been  made  so  wet  was  as  dry 
as  it  could  be. 

And  when  the  crowd  saw  this  they  all  bowed 
down  to  the  ground,  and  said,  The  Lord  he  is  God! 
The  Lord  he  is  God  ! 

And  they  broke  up  the  false  gods,  and  gave  their 
hearts  for  a  while  to  the  Lord. 

Then  E-li-jah  told  A-hab  that  he  might  eat  and 
drink,  for  the  rain  would  soon  set  in.  And  he  went 
to  the  top  of  a  high  mount  to  pray  for  rain.  Not  a 
cloud  was  in  the  sky.  The  sea  was  calm.  But  E-li- 
jah  knew  that  he  must  watch,  and  wait,  and  pray, 
and  the  sign  would  come. 

At  last  there  rose  up  out  of  the  sea — that  is, 
where  the  sea  and  sky  seem  to  meet — a  small  cloud, 
the  size  of  a  man's  hand.  And  soon  the  sky  was 
black  with  clouds,  and  the  wind  blew,  and  there  was 
a  great  storm  of  rain. 

Now  A:hab  had  a  bad  wife,  and  when  he  told 


Elijah 


189 


her  what  E-li-jah  had  done,  she  made  a  vow  to  kill 
him. 

And  E-li-jah  had  to  flee  for  his  life.  He  was  so 
worn  -out  that  when  he  came  to  a  lone  place  he  sat 
down  in  the  shade  of  a 
tree  and  wished  that  he 
might  die.  While  he 
slept,  an  an-gel  drew  near, 
at  whose  touch  E-li-jah 
woke.  And  the  an-gel 
said,  Rise  and  eat. 

And  E-li-jah  found 
food  and  drink  set  out  for 
him.  And  he  ate  and 
drank,  and  then  lay  down 
and  slept.  And  the  an- 
gel came  once  more,  and 
bade  E-li-jah  eat,  that  he 
might  have  strength  to  go 
on  his  way.  And  he  sat 
up,  and  ate  the  food  the 
Lord  had  sent,  and  it  gave 
him  such  strength  that  he 
went  without  food  for  more  than  a  month.  And 
at  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Mount  Ho-reb. 
And  he  went  to  a  cave  and  lay  down  and  slept  there. 

And  the  Lord  spoke  to  him,  and  said,  Why  art 


E-U-JAH    AND   KING   A-HAB. 


190 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 


thou  here,  E-li-jah  ?     And  E-li-jah  said  the  chil-dren 
of  Is-ra-el  had  not  kept  their  word,  but  had  gone 

back  to  their  false 
gods,  and  slain  all 
those  who  sought 
to  turn  them  from 
their  sins.  And  I 
have  fled  from 
them,  said  E-li-jah, 
for  they  seek  my 
life. 

The  Lord  said, 
Go  forth,  and  stand 
on  the  mount.  And 
there  came  a  great 
wind  that  split  the 
high  hills,  and 
broke  up  the  rocks. 
But  the  Lord  was 
not  in  the  wind. 

Then  the  earth 
shook,  so  that  there 
was  no  firm  ground 
on  which  to  walk; 
and  smoke  came  up  out  of  the  great  cracks  that  were 
made.      But  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  earth-quake. 
Then  there  came  a  still,  small  voice.     When  E-li- 


E-LI  JAH   IN   THE   W1L-DER-NESS. 


Elijah. 


191 


jah  heard  it  he  hid  his  face  in  his  cloak,  and  went 
out  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  cave. 

And  the  voice  said, 
Why  art  thou  here,  E-li- 
jah?  And  E-li-jah  said 
that  he  fled  from  those 
who  sought  to  kill  him. 
And  the  Lord  told  him 
to  leave  the  cave,  and  go 
back,  and  pour  oil  on  the 
head  of  E-li-sha,  who 
was  to  take  his  place. 

And  E-li-jah  found 
E-li-sha  at  work  with 
the  plough  in  a  large 
field.  And  as  he  went 
by  him  he  threw  his 
cloak  round  E-li-sha, 

And  E-li-sha  knew 
that  this  meant  he  must 
leave  all  and  go  with 
E-li-jah.  And  he  went 
home  to  bid  fare-well  to 
his  dear  ones  there,  and 
then  came  back  to  be  near  E-li-jah  and  to  wait  on  him. 

Now  the  time  drew  near  when   E-li-jah  was  to 
leave  the  earth.     And  he  and   E-li-sha  stood  near 


E-LI-JAH   GOES   TO   HEAV-EN. 


192  History  of  the  Old  Testament*. 

the  shore  of  the  Jor-dan.  And  E-li-jah  took  his 
cloak  and  struck  the  waves,  and  they  made  a  wall 
on  each  side,  and  the  two  men  went  through  on  dry 
land.  And  as  they  stood  on  the  oth-er  side,  E-li-jah 
said  to  E-li-sha,  Ask  what  I  shall  do  for  thee,  ere  1 
leave  thee. 

And  E-li-sha  said,  Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  be  twice 
as  good  and  wise  as  thou. 

E-li-jah  said,  Thou  dost  ask  a  hard  thing.  But 
if  thou  dost  see  me  when  the  Lord  takes  me  from 
thee,  then  it  shall  be  so.  But  if  thou  dost  not  see, 
then  it  shall  not  be  so. 

So  they  went  on,  and  while  they  yet  spoke,  there 
came  a  great  light  in  the  sky,  and  the  clouds  took  on 
strange  forms.  And  E-li-jah  was  caught  up  as  if  b) 
a  whirl-wind,  and  E-li-sha  cried  out  as  he  saw  hin 
pass  through  the  sky,  but  he  was  soon  out  of  sight 
and  E-li-sha  saw  him  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ELISHA. 

As  E-li-jah  rose  trom  the  earth  he  let  his  cloak 
fall  on  E-li-sha.  And  E-h-sha  went  down  to  the 
Jor-dan,  and  took  the  cloak  and  struck  the  waves, 


Elisha. 


193 


and  they  stood  up  on  each   side,  so  that  he  went 

a-cross  dry  shod.     And  it  was  made  known  to  all 

the  seers  and  wise  men  that  E-li-sha  had  been  called 

to  fill  E-li-jah's  place, 

and 

that 


he    gave    proof 
the    Lord   was 
with  him. 

As  E-li-sha  went 
from  Jer-i-cho  to 
Beth-el,  some  young- 
folks  ran  out  and 
made  fun  of  him,  and 
cried,  Go  up,  thou 
bald  head!  Go  up, 
thou  bald  head! 

E-li-sha  turned 
back,  and  asked  the 
Lord  to  take  them  in 
hand.  So  the  Lord 
sent  two  great  bears 
out  of  the  wood,  and 
they  fell  on  the  chil- 
dren and  tore  over 
two-score  of  them. 

One  day  E-li-sha  came  to  Shu-nem,  where  a  rich 
wo-man  dwelt.  And  she  bade  him  come  in  and  eat. 
And  as  oft  as  he  went  that  way,  he  made  it  a  rule 


THE  CHILD-REN   OF   BETH-EL. 


r94  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

to   stop  and  take    the  food   and   drink  she  set    out 
for  him. 

And  she  had  a  room  built  for  him  on  the  side  of 
her  house,  and  put  a  bed  and  a  chair  in  it,  that  he 
might  go  in  and  out  as  he  chose,  and  have  a  place 
to  rest  in. 

And  one  day  when  he  was  in  this  room,  he  sent 
for  the  wo-man  to  come  to  him.  And  he  said  to 
her,  What  can  I  do  to  pay  thee  for  all  thy  kind  care 
of  us?  Shall  I  speak  to  the  king  for  thee?  She 
said  there  was  no  need,  that  she  sought  no  pay,  and 
then  left  the  room. 

E-li-sha  said  to  his  man,  What  is  there  that  I  can 
do  for  her? 

And  the  man  said,  She  has  no  child. 

And  E-li-sha  said,  Call  her.  And  she  came 
back  and  stood  at  the  door.  And  when  the  man  of 
God  told  her  that  she  should  have  a  son,  she  thought 
he  did  not  speak  the  truth. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  true,  for  in  less 
than  a  year  she  had  a  son. 

And  the  child  grew  up,  and  went  out  one  day  to 
the  field  to  see  the  men  reap  the  corn.  And  while 
he  was  there  he  felt  sick,  and  cried  out  to  his  fath-er, 
My  head !  my  head ! 

And  his  fath-er  said  to  a  lad,  Take  the  boy  home 
to  his  moth-er.  And  she  took  him,  and  he  sat  in 


Elisha. 


T95 


her  lap  till  noon,  and  then  died.  And  she  took 
the  boy  to  E-li-sha's  room,  and  laid  him  on  the  bed 
of  the  man  of  God,  and  then  went  out  and  shut 
the  door. 

Then  she  sent  for  one  of  the  young  men,  and  had 
him  bring  an  ass  to  the  door,  and  she  got  on  the  ass, 
and  bade  the  man  drive  as  fast  as  he  could  till  she 
told  him  to  stop. 

She  went  till  she  came  near  Mount  Car-mel. 
And  E-li-sha  saw  her,  and  sent  Ge-ha-zi  out  to  meet 
her,  and  to  ask  her  if  it  was  well  with  her  and  with 
the  child.  And  she  said  to  him,  It  is  well. 

But  when  she  came  to  E-li-sha  she  fell  at  his  feet, 
and  Ge-ha-zi  drew  near  to  push  her  from  the  man  of 
God. 

But  E-li-sha  said,  Touch  her  not.  She  is  in 
great  grief,  and  the  Lord  has  hid  it  from  me  and  not 
told  me  of  it. 

And  the  wo-man  said,  Did  I  ask  thee  for  a  son  ? 
Then  he  knew  that  the  boy  was  dead. 

Then  E-h-sha  said  to  Ge-ha-zi,  Take  my  staff,  and 
go  thy  way  with  all  speed.  Stop  to  speak  to  no  one. 
And  lay  my  staff  on  the  face  of  the  child. 

And  the  moth-er  of  the  child  said,  As  the  Lord 
lives,  I  will  not  leave  thee.  And  E-li-sha  rose  and 
went  with  her,  while  Ge-ha-zi  ran  on  a-head.  And 
he  laid  the  staff  on  the  face  of  the  child,  but  the  child 


iv/6  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

did  not  speak  nor  hear.      And   he  ran  out  to  meet 
E-li-sha  and  to  tell  him  the  lad  did  not  wake. 

And  when  E-li-sha  came  to  the  house  he  found 
the  child  dead,  and  laid  on  his  bed.  So  he  went  in 
the  room  and  shut  the  door,  and  prayed  to  the  Lord. 

Then  he  got  on  the  bed,  and  lay  on  the  child  till 
his  flesh  grew  warm.  Then  he  left  the  room  for  a- 
while  to  walk  up  and  down,  and  when  he  went  back 
he  lay  on  the  child  till  its  breath  came  back,  and  it 
gave  signs  of  life. 

And  he  sent  for  the  moth-er.  And  when  she 
came  to  the  room  he  said,  Take  up  thy  son.  And 
she  fell  at  the  feet  of  E-li-sha,  with  thanks  too  deep 
for  words,  and  then  took  her  son  in  her  arms  and 
went  out. 

There  was  a  man  in  Sy-ri-a,  who  took  charge  of 
all  the  troops  that  went  to  war  with  the  king.  This 
man's  name  was  Na-a-man,  and  he  had  done  brave 
deeds,  for  which  he  held  high  rank,  and  was  much 
thought  of.  But  this  man  fell  ill,  and  none  but  those 
of  his  own  house  would  go  near  him.  And  there 
was  no  cure  for  him.  But  his  wife  had  a  maid  to 
wait  on  her.  And  this  maid  said  that  if  Na-a-man 
would  go  to  E-li-sha  she  was  sure  that  he  would  cure 
him. 

And  Na-a-man  came  down  to  Sa-ma-ri-a  with  a 
note  from  his  own  king  to  the  king  of  Is-ra-el. 


Eliska. 


When  the  king  of  Is-ra-el  read  the  note  he  was  very 
wroth,  and  said,  Am  I  God  that  I  can  bring  the 
dead  to  life?  For  he  thought  that  it  was  but  a  trick 
to  bring  on  a 
war. 

When  E-li- 
sha  heard  that 
the  king  rent  his 
clothes,  he  sent 
word  to  have 
Na-a-man  come 
to  him. 

And  Na-a- 
man  drove  up  in 
fine  style,  and 
stood  at  the  door 
of  E-li-sha's 
house.  And  E-li- 
sha  sent  word  to 
him  to  bathe  at 
the  Jor-dan  sev- 
en times,  and  he 
would  be  made 
well. 

This  put  Na-a-man  in  a  rage,  for  he  thought  that 
E-li-sha  would  come  out  to  him  and  call  on  the  name 
of  God,  and  touch  him  so  as  to  heal  him. 


E-LI-SHA    AND    THE   CHILD. 


198  History  of  the  Old  Testament* 

And  he  said,  Are  there  not  streams  in  Da-mas- 
cus  in  which  I  can  bathe  and  be  made  well?  And 
he  went  off  in  a  rage. 

But  some  of  his  men  drew  near,  and  said,  My 
lord,  if  he  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing  wouldst 
thou  not  have  done  it?  Why  not  then  do  as  he  says, 
and  wash  and  be  clean  ? 

And  Na-a-man  gave  heed  to  their  words  and 
went  down  to  the  Jor-dan.  And  he  took  sev-en 
baths,  and  then  his  flesh  grew  as  soft  and  pink  as 
the  flesh  of  a  child,  and  health  and  strength  came 
back  to  him.  And  Na-a-man  went  back  to  E-li-sha's 
house,  he  and  all  his  men,  and  he  said,  Now  I  know 
there  is  no  God  in  all  the  earth  but  the  God  of  Is- 
ra-el. 

Now  the  time  drew  near  when  E-li-sha  was  to 
die.  And  the  king,  Jo-ash,  came  to  see  him  as  he 
lay  sick  in  bed. 

And  E-h-sha  said,  Take  the  bow  and  the  darts. 
And  the  king  took  them.  And  E-li-sha  said,  Put 
thy  hands  on  the  bow.  And  the  king  did  so,  and 
E-li-sha  put  his  hands  on  the  king's  hands.  Then 
E-li-sha  said,  Throw  wide  the  east  win-dow.  And 
when  this  was  done  he  said  shoot.  And  the  king 
shot;  and  E-ii-sha  told  him  that  he  should  set  Is-ra- 
el  free  from  its  foes. 

Then  he  said  to  the  king,  Take  the  darts.      And 


Elisha. 


199 


he  took  them.  And  E-li-sha  said,  Strike  them  on 
the  ground.  And  the  king  struck  them  on  the 
ground  three  times,  and  no  more. 

And  the 
man  of  God  was 
wroth  with  him, 
and  said,  Thou 
shouldst  have 
struck  five  or 
six  times,  for 
then  thou 
wouldst  have 
laid  the  Sy-ri- 
ans  low,  now 
thou  shalt  smite 
them  but  three 
times. 

And  E-li- 
sha  died,  and 
was  laid  in  the 
ground.  And 
one  day  as  some 

f.    1  T        1  1  THE   AR-ROW   OF   DE-LIV-ER-ANCE. 

the    iolks 

went  out  with  a  dead  man  to  lay  him  in  the  grave 
that  was  dug  for  him,  they  saw  a  band  of  thieves 
from  the  land  of  Mo-ab  and  did  not  dare  to  go  on. 
So  they  put  the  dead  man  in  the  grave  where  E-li- 


2OO  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

sha  lay.  And  as  soon  as  the  corpse  touched  the 
bones  of  E-li-sha  the  man  came  to  life  and  stood 
on  his  feet. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JONAH,    THE    MAN    WHO    TRIED    TO    HIDE    FROM    GOD. 

THERE  was  a  seer  in  Is-ra-el  whose  name  was 
Jo-nah.  And  the  Lord  told  Jo-nah  to  go  to  Nin-e- 
veh,  a  large  town  where  there  was  great  need  of  good 
men.  But  Jo-nah  did  not  care  to  go  there,  so  he 
ran  down  to  J op-pa  and  found  a  ship  there  that  would 
set  sail  for  Tar-shish  in  a  few  days.  So  he  paid  his 
fare,  and  went  on  board  the  ship  to  go  to  Tar-shish. 
where  he  seemed  to  think  the  Lord  would  not  find 
him. 

But  as  soon  as  the  ship  was  well  on  its  way,  the 
Lord  sent  forth  a  great  wind,  and  the  waves  rose 
high,  and  the  storm  beat  the  ship,  and  it  was  blown 
here  and  there  as  if  it  were  a  toy.  And  those  on 
board  of  her  were  in  great  fear,  and  cried  out  to  their 
gods,  and  threw  all  the  goods  that  were  in  the  ship 
in-to  the  sea,  so  that  she  would  not  sink. 

Jo-nah  was  down  in  the  hold,  where  he  lay  and 
slept,  though  the  storm  was  so  fierce. 

And  the  one  who  had  charge  of  the  ship  came 


Jonah,  the  Man  who   Tried  to  Hide  from  God. 


201 


to  him  and  said,  What  does  this  mean?     Rise,  and 
call  on  thy  God  to  save  us  from  ship-wreck. 

And  the  rest  of  the  men  said,  Come,  and  let  us 
cast  lots  that  we 
may  know  who 
is  to  blame  for 
this. 

So  they  cast 
lots,  and  the  lot 
fell  on  Jo-nah. 
And  they  said 
to  him,  Tell  us, 
we  pray  thee, 
who  has  brought 
on  us  these  ills. 
What  is  thy 
trade?  where 
dost  thou  come 
from?  where 
dost  thou  live? 
and  of  what  tribe 
art  thou? 

And  he  said 

I  am  a  Jew,  and  have  fled  from  the  Lord  who  made 
the  sea  and  sky. 

And  the  men  were  in  great  fear  and  said,  Why 
hast  thou  done  this 'thing?     And   what  shall  we  do 


JO-NAH   IN   THE   STORM. 


2O2  History  of  the  Old   Testament. 

to  thee  that  the  sea  may  be  still  for  us?     For  the 
waves  were  rough,  and  the  winds  blew  a  gale. 

And  Jo-nah  said  to  the  men,  Take  me  up  and 
cast  me  in-to  the  sea;  then  shall  the  sea  be  calm  for 
you,  for  I  know  it  is  for  my  sake  that  this  great  storm 
has  come  up-on  you. 

The  men  did  not  want  to  drown  Jo-nah,  so  they 
tried  their  best  to  bring  the  ship  to  land,  but  could 
not. 

Then  they  cried  to  the  Lord,  O  Lord,  we  pray 
thee,  count  it  no  sin  to  us  that  we  take  this  man's 
life,  for  thou,  O  Lord,  hast  sent  this  storm  on  us  for 
some  of  his  sins. 

So  they  took  up  Jo-nah,  and  cast  him  in-to  the 
sea,  and  the  sea  grew  still  and  calm. 

And  when  the  men  saw  this  they  were  in  great 
fear,  and  brought  gifts  to  the  Lord,  and  made  vows 
that  they  would  serve  him. 

Now  the  Lord  had  sent  a  great  fish  to  the  side 
of  the  ship  to  take  Jo-nah  in-to  its  mouth  as  soon  as 
he  was  thrown  in-to  the  sea. 

And  Jo-nah  was  in-side  the  fish  for  three  days 
and  three  nights.  And  he  prayed  to  the  Lord  while 
he  was  in  the  fish  ;  and  cried  to  God  to  help  him,  and 
to  blot  out  his  sins.  And  God  heard  him,  and  bade 
the  fish  throw  him  up  on  the  dry  land. 

Then  the  Lord  spoke   to  Jo-nah  once  more,  and 


Jonak,  the  Man  who   Tried  to  Hide  from  God.  203 

said,  Rise,  and  goto  Nin-e-veh,  and  preach  to  it  as  I 
bid  thee. 

And  Jo-nah  rose  and  went. 

And  when  God  saw  them  turn  from  their  sins  and 
pray  to  him,  he  did  not  do  to  Nin-e-veh  as  he  said 
he  would. 

But  this  did  not  please  Jo-nah.  He  thought  that 
Nin-e-veh  should  be  brought  low,  for  those  who  dwelt 
there  were  not  good  friends  to  the  Jews.  Then,  too, 
Jo-nah's  pride  was  hurt,  for  he  knew  that  men  would 
laugh  at  him,  and  have  no  faith  in  what  he  said,  so 
he  went  out  of  the  town  and  sat  down  by  the  road- 
side. 

And  God  made  a  vine  to  grow  up  there  in  one 
night,  that  Jo-nah  might  sit  in  its  shade  and  find  rest 
from  his  grief.  And  Jo-nah  was  glad  when  he  saw 
the  gourd.  The  next  morn  God  sent  a  worm  to  gnaw 
the  root  of  the  vine,  and  it  soon  dried  up. 

When  the  sun  rose  God  sent  a  hot  wind,  and  the 
sun  beat  on  Jo-nah's  head  so  that  he  grew  sick  and 
fell  in  a  faint.  And  he  was  wroth,  and  had  no  wish 
to  live. 

And  God  said  to  Jo-nah,  Is  it  well  for  thee  to  be 
in  such  grief  for  the  loss  of  a  gourd  ? 

And  Jo-nah  said,  Yes.  There  was  good  cause 
why  he  should  feel  as  he  did  and  long  to  die. 

Then  the  Lord  said  to  him,  Thou  wouldst  have 


204  History  of  the   Old   Testament 

had  me  spare  this  vine  which  cost  thee  nought,  and 
which  grew  up  in  a  night  and  died  in  a  night.      And 
why  should  I  not  spare  Nin-e-veh — that  great  town- 
in  which  are  hosts  and  hosts  of  young  folks  who  do 
not  know  their  ri^ht  hand  from  their  left? 

o 

So  God  put  Jo-nah  to  shame,  and  made  him  see 
what  a  sin  it  was  to  wish  to  crush  Nin-e-veh  just  to 
please  his  own  self  and  for  fear  men  would  laugh  at 
him. 

And  Jo-nah  found  out,  what  we  all  need  to  learn, 
that  it  is  of  no  use  to  try  to  hide  from  God. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DANIEL. 

THERE  was  a  king  of  Bab-y-lon  whose  name  was 
Neb-u-chad-nez-zar.  And  he  sent  one  of  his  chief 
men  to  choose  some  of  the  young  Jews  who  had 
been  well  brought  up,  that  they  might  wait  on  him. 

The  chief  chose  four  youths  whose  names  were 
Dan-i-el,  Sha-drach,  Me-shach  and  A-bed-ne-go. 
And  these  were  brought  to  Bab-y-lon,  that  they 
might  be  taught  as  the  king  wished. 

And  the  Lord  was  with  these  four  young  men, 


Daniel. 


205 


and  made  them  wise,  and  strong  in  mind,  and  fair 

of  face. 

When  they  had  been  taught  for  three  years  they 

were  brought 
to  the  king's 
house.  And 
the  king  kept 
them  near 
him,  and 
made  use  of 
them,  for  he 
found  that 
they  knew  ten 
times  more 
than  all  the 
wise  men  in 
the  whole 
realm. 

One  night 
the  king  had 
a  dream  that 
woke  him  out 
of  his  sleep. 
And  he  sent 
for  all  the  wise 
men — those  who  could  read  stars,  and  those  who 
could  work  charms — to  tell  what  the  dream  meant. 


KING   NEB-U-CHAU-NEZ-ZAR. 


206  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

And  they  all  came,  but  none  of  them  could  tell 
the  dream  that  had  gone  out  of  the  king's  own  head. 
And  no  king,  they  said,  would  ask  such  a  thing  of 
wise  men. 

The  king  was  wroth  at  this  and  gave  word  that 
all  the  wise  men  should  be  put  to  death.  And  they 
sought  Dan-i-el  and  his  friends,  that  they  might  kill 
them. 

Dan-i-el  said,  Why  is  there  such  haste?  And 
when  he  was  told  he  went  in  to  the  king  and  said  if 
he  would  give  him  time  he  would  make  his  dream 
clear  to  him. 

In  the  night  God  showed  the  king's  dream  to 
Dan-i-el,  and  all  that  it  meant  was  made  clear  to  him. 
And  Dan-i-el  gave  praise  and  thanks  to  God  who 
had  been  so  good  to  him. 

Then  he  went  to  the  chief,  and  told  him  not  to 
slay  the  wise  men,  but  to  bring  him  in  to  the  king. 

Then  Dan-i-el  told  the  king  his  dream,  and  all 
that  would  come  to  pass,  and  when  the  king  heard 
it  he  fell  on  his  face  before  Dan-i-el  and  said  to  him, 
It  is  true  that  your  God  is  a  God  of  gods,  and  a 
Lord  of  kings,  and  that  nought  is  hid  from  him,  since 
thou  hast  told  me  this  dream. 

And  the  king  made  Dan-i-el  a  great  man,  and 
gave  him  rich  gifts,  and  put  him  at  the  head  of  all 
the  wise  men  in  the  land. 


Daniel. 


207 


Now  king  Neb-u-chad-nez-zar  made  a  great  god 
out  of  gold,  and  set  it  on  one  of  the  plains  of  Bab-y-lon. 

And  one  of  the  king's  men  cried  out  with  a  loud 
voice,  and  said 
it  was  the  king's 
law  that  all 
should  bow 
down  to  the  god 
of  gold  that  he 
had  set  up.  And 
those  who  did 
not  bow  down 
were  to  be  thrown 
in-to  a  great  hot 
fire  and  burnt 
up. 

And  some 
men  brought 
word  to  the  king 
that  the  three 
Jews  would  not 
serve  his  gods, 
or  bow  down 
to  this  one  of 
gold  which  he  had  set  up. 

These  three  men  were  brought  to  the  king,  and 
he  said  to  them,  Is  it  true,  O  Sha-drach,  Me-shach, 


NEB-U-CHAD-NEZ-ZAR'S  DREAM. 


208  History  of  tke  Old  Testament* 

and  A-bed-ne-go  that  ye  will  not  serve  my  gods  or 
bow  down  to  the  one  of  gold  which  I  have  set  up? 
And  he  said  he  would  give  them  one  more  chance,  and 
if  they  did  not  bow  down  when  they  heard  the  call, 
they  should  be  cast  in  the  same  hour  in-to  the  flames. 
The  three  Jews  said  to  the  king,  Be  it  known  to  thee 
now  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  bow  down 
to  the  new  one  thou  hast  set  up.  And  if  we  are  cast 
in  the  fire,  the  God  whom  we  serve  will  save  us  from 
death  and  bring  us  out  of  thy  hands,  O  king. 

Then  was  the  king  in  a  great  rage,  and  he  sent 
word  that  a  fierce  fire  should  be  made.  And  the 
three  Jews  were  bound  and  thrown  m-to  the  flames 
with  all  their  clothes  on.  And  the  fire  was  so  hot 
and  they  went  so  near  that  sparks  flew  out  and  killed 
the  men  who  took  up  Sha-drach,  Me-shach  and  A- 
bed-ne-go. 

These  three  Jews  fell  down  in  the  midst  of  the 
flames,  but  soon  rose  to  their  feet,  and  the  Lord 
would  not  let  the  flames  burn  them. 

When  the  king  saw  this  he  rose  in  great  haste 
and  said  to  his  chiefs,  Did  we  not  cast  three  men 
bound  in  the  midst  of  the  fire  ? 

And  they  said,  True,  O  king. 

And  the  king  said,  Lo,  I  see  four  men  loose,  and 
they  walk  through  the  flames  and  are  not  hurt,  and 
the  form  of  the  fourth  is  like  to  the  son  of  God. 


Daniel. 


209 


Then  the  king  came  to  the  door  of  the  cage  of 
fire  and  said  to  Sha-drach,  Me-shach  and  A-bed-ne- 
go,  Ye  who  serve  the  most  high  God,  come  forth, 
and  come  here. 

And  the 
three  young 
Jews  came  forth 
out  of  the  midst 
of  the  fire,  and 
not  a  hair  of 
their  head  was 
singed,  nor  were 
their  clothes 
harmed,  nor 
was  the  smell  of 
fire  on  them. 

And  the 
king  praised  the 
God  who  had 
shown  that  he 


wo 


uld 


save 


DWELL-ING  WITH  THE  BEASTS. 


from     death 

those  who  put  their  trust  in  him.  And  the  king 
made  it  a  law  that  those  who  spoke  ill  of  the  God  of 
Sha-drach,  Me-shach,  and  A-bed-ne-go  should  be 
put  to  death,  and  their  homes  torn  down,  for  there 
was  no  God  who  could  save  as  he  could. 


2io  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

For  a  while  the  king  served  God  and  gave  him 
praise  for  all  he  had  done  for  him.  But  men  who 
thought  to  please  the  king,  spoke  of  his  great  wealth 
and  praised  all  that  he  did,  so  that  he  grew  vain  and 
proud,  and  thought  more  of  him-self  than  he  did  of 

God. 

And  the  king  had  a  dream  that  made  him  shake 

o 

with  fear,  and  he  sent  for  Dan-i-el.  And  Dan-i-el 
feared  to  tell  the  king  the  truth.  But  the  king  told 
him  to  speak  out.  Then  Dan-i-el  told  him  what 
would  take  place. 

And  it  all  came  on  king  Neb-u-chad-nez-zar.  In 
the  same  hour  his  mind  left  him  and  he  was  not  fit 
to  reign.  So  he  was  thrust  out  of  doors,  and  did  eat 
grass  with  the  beasts  of  the  fields.  \nd  he  lay  on 
the  ground,  and  was  wet  with  the  dews,  and  his  hair 
grew  so  long  that  his  flesh  could  not  be  seen,  and  his 
nails  were  like  bird's  claws. 

And  at  the  end  of  the  sev-en  years  Neb-u-chad- 
nez-zar  raised  his  eyes  to  God,  and  his  mind  came 
back  to  him,  and  he  spoke  in  praise  of  the  most  High. 

And  Neb-u-chad-nez-zar  was  made  king  once 
more,  and  grew  strong  and  great,  and  gave  the  praise 
to  God  ;  the  King  of  kings,  who  could  raise  up  those 
who  were  down,  and  bringdown  those  who  were  full 
of  pride. 

When  Neb-u-chad-nez-zar  died,  a  new  king  was 


211 


212  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

on  the  throne  of  Bab-y-lon  whose  name  was  Bel-shaz- 
zar.  And  Bel-shaz-zar  made  a  great  feast,  and  much 
wine  was  drunk.  And  the  king  sent  for  the  rich  cups 
which  his  fath-er  had  brought  from  the  Lord's  house 
in  Je-ru-sa-lem.  And  he  and  all  at  the  feast  drank 
from  these  cups,  which  was  a  great  sin. 

In  the  midst  of  the  feast  there  came  forth  a  man's 
hand,  that  wrote  on  the  wall  of  the  king's  house. 

And  the  king  saw  the  hand,  and  was  in  great 
fear,  and  sent  at  once  for  all  his  wise  men. 

But  none  of  them  could  read  what  was  on  the 
wall,  and  the  king  knew  not  what  to  do.  Then 
Dan-i-el  was  sent  for,  and  the  king  said  he  should 
have  great  wealth  and  high  rank  if  he  could  read  the 
words  on  the  wall. 

Dan-i-el  said,  Keep  thy  gifts,  O  king,  and  give 
thy  fees  to  some  one  else.  Yet  will  I  read  the  words 
on  the  wall  and  tell  you  what  they  mean.  For  the 
God  who  gives  thee  life  and  takes  care  of  thee, 
thou  hast  no  word  of  praise.  And  so  God  sent 
this  hand  to  write  on  the  wall. 

ME-NE,    ME-NE,   TE-KEL,    U-PHAR-SIN, 

which  means  that  thy  reign  as  king  is  at  an  end. 

When  Dan-i-el  had  told  what  the  hand  wrote  on 
the  wall,  and  what  the  words  meant,  Bel-shaz-zar  bade 
his  men  clothe  him  in  red,  and  put  a  gold  chain  on 


21  A  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

his  neck,  and  make  it  known  that  he  was  to  be  third 
in  rank  from  the  king. 

That  same  night  Bel-shaz-zar  was  slain,  and  Da- 
ri-us  took  his  place  on  the  throne 

Now  Da-ri-us  was  pleased  with  Dan-i-el,  and 
thought  him  such  a  wise  and  good  man  that  he  made 
him  chief  of  a  large  force  of  men  who  held  high  rank. 
And  this  made  these  men  hate  Dan-i-el,  and  they 
tried  to  find  out  some  ill  that  he  had  done  that  they 
might  tell  it  to  the  king.  But  they  could  find  no 
fault  in  him.  Then  they  thought  of  a  way  in  which 
they  could  harm  him. 

They  came  to  the  king  and  asked  him  to  make  a 
law  that  if  one  should  ask  help  of  God  or  man  for 
one  month,  he  should  be  cast  in-to  a  den  of  h-ons. 

They  might  ask  help  of  the  king,  but  of  no  one 
else. 

And  the  king  told  them  to  write  down  this  law, 
and  he  put  his  name  to  it. 

When  Dan-i-el  heard  of  the  law  which  the  king 
had  sent  out  he  went  to  his  home  and  knelt  down 
three  times  a  day  with  his  face  to  Je-ru-sa-lem, 
and  gave  thanks  to  God  first  as  he  had  done  all 
his  life. 

And  the  men  who  were  on  the  watch  to  catch 
him  in  some  crime,  drew  near  his  house  and  heard 
him  pray  to  his  God.  So  they  went  and  told  the 


Daniel. 


2I5 


king,  and  the  king  was  wroth  to  think  he  had  made 
such  a  law.  And  he  tried  his  best  to  save  Dan-i-el. 
But  the  men  held  him  to  his  word,  and  said  it  would 
not  do  for  him  to  change  a  law  that  had  been  made. 

Then  the 
king  bade  them 
bring  Dan-i-el 
and  cast  him  in 
the  den  of  wild 
beasts.  And 
he  said  to  Dan- 
i-el,  Thy  God, 
whom  thou  dost 
serve  so  well, 
will  be  sure  to 
save  thee. 

And  a  stone 
was  brought 
and  laid  on  the 


mouth 
den. 


of    the 


Then    the 


ROCK   GRAVE  OF   DA-RI-US. 


king  went  to  his  own  house,  but  would  take  no  food, 
nor  did  he  sleep  all  that  night.  And  at  dawn  he 
rose  and  went  in  haste  to  the  den  of  wild  beasts. 
And  as  he  drew  near  he  cried  out  with  a  sad  voice,  O 
Dan-i-el,  canst  thy  God  save  thee  from  the  li-ons? 


2l6 


History  of  the  Old  Testament. 


And  Dan-i-el  said,  O  king,  my  God  hath  shut  the 
li-ons'  mouths  so  that  they  have  not  hurt  me,  since 
I  had  done  no  wrong  in  his  sight  nor  in  thine,  O  king. 

Then  the  king 
was  glad,  and  bade 
his  men  take  Dan-i-el 
out  of  the  den.  And 
when  he  was  brought 
out,  there  was  not  a 
scratch  found  on  him, 
for  his  trust  was  in 
God,  and  God  took 
care  of  him. 

Then   the    king 
had  those   men  who 
found    fault    with 
Dan-i-el,  thrown    in- 
to the  den — they  and 
their  wives,  and  their 
chil-dren  —  and     the 
wild  beasts  were  quick 
to  eat  them  up. 
Then  Da-ri-us  made  a  law  that  all  men  should 
serve  the  God  of  Dan-i-el,  who  was  the  one  true  God. 
When  Da-ri-us  died,  Cy-rus  was  made  king. 


CY-RUS,    KING   OF   PER-SIA. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE    GOOD    QUEEN    ESTHER. 

FAR  back  in  the  past,  wise  men  had  fore-told  that 
the  Jews  would  be  kept  out  of  Je-ru-sa-lem  for  three- 
score and  ten  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  a 
king,  Cy-rus,  would  let  them  go  back  to  the  land  they 
came  from.  And  he  did  so. 

Not  all  the  Jews  went  back  to  their  own  land, 
but  some  of  them  made  their  homes  in  Per-si-a  and 
else-where.  And  King  A-has-u-e-rus  was  on  the 
throne. 

In  the  third  year  of  his  reign  he  made  a  great 
feast. 

And  he  sent  for  Vash-ti,  the  queen,  to  throw  off 
her  veil  and  let  his  guests  see  how  fair  she  was. 

But  Vash-ti  would  not  do  it. 

Then  the  king  was  in  a  rage,  and  said  to  his 
wise  men,  What  shall  we  do  to  Queen  Vash-ti  to 
make  her  know  that  the  king's  will  is  her  law  ? 

And  the  wise  men  said,  Vash-ti  hath  done  wrong 
to  the  king  and  to  all  the  lords  of  the  land. 

For  when  this  is  told,  wives  will  not  do  as  their 

liege  lords  wish.      They  will  say,  The  king  sent  word 

217 


2 1 8  History  of  tke   Old  Testament. 

for  Vash-ti,  the  queen,  to  be  brought  to  him,  but  she 
came  not.  Let  the  king  make  a  law  and  put  Vash- 
ti  from  him  and  choose  a  new  queen,  that  all  wives, 
great  and  small,  may  take  heed  and  do  as  they  are 
told. 

The  king  and  all  the  lords  thought  these  were 
wise  words.  And  the  king  made  it  a  law  that  a  man 
should  rule  in  his  own  house. 

Then  some  of  the  king's  men,  whose  place  it  was 
to  wait  on  him,  came  to  him  and  said  it  would  be 
a  good  plan  for  him  to  have  all  the  fair  maids  in  the 
land  brought  to  his  house,  that  he  might  choose  one 
of  them  to  be  queen,  in  the  place  of  Vash-ti. 

And  the  king  did  as.  they  said. 

Now  there  was  a  Jew  in  the  king's  house,  whose 
name  was  Mor-de-ca-i.  He  was  a  poor  man,  and 
was  there  to  wait  on  the  king. 

And  there  was  a  maid  named  Es-ther,  who  was 
one  of  his  kins-folk.  And  she  was  "fair  of  face,  and 
full  of  grace." 

And  when  the  word  went  forth  from  the  king, 
scores  and  scores  of  fair  young  maids  came  to  the 
king's  house,  and  Es-ther  came  with  them.  And 
one  of  the  king's  men  had  them  all  in  his  charge. 

This  man  was  so  pleased  with  Es-ther  that  he  was 
more  kind  to  her  than  he  was  to  the  rest,  and  sent 
maids  to  wait  on  her,  and  put  her  and  her  maids 


ES-THER  AND  THE  KING. 


219 


220  History  of  the   Old  Testament. 

in  the  best  part  of  the  house  where  the  wo-men  were. 
But  Es-ther  had  not  let  it  be  known  that  her  folks 
were  Jews,  for  Mor-de-ca-i  had  told  her  not  to  tell  it. 

As  soon  as  the  king  saw  Es-ther  he  fell  in  love 
with  her,  and  set  the  crown  on  her  head,  and  made 
her  queen  in  the  place  of  Vash-ti. 

Then  the  king  made  a  great  feast,  and  gave  gifts 
to  the  poor  for  the  new  queen's  sake.  And  she  had 
not  yet  made  it  known  that  her  folks  were  Jews. 

Now  two  of  the  king's  men,  who  stood  on  guard 
at  the  doors  of  his  house,  were  wroth  with  the  king 
and  sought  to  kill  him. 

And  their  plot  was  known  to  Mor-de-ca-i,  who 
was  a  watch-man  at  the  king's  gate.  And  he  told  it 
to  Es-ther,  and  she  told  it  to  the  king,  and  both  of 
the  men  were  hung.  And  what  Mor-de-ca-i  had 
done  to  save  the  king's  life  was  put  down  in  a  book. 

And  in  this  same  book  was  set  down  all  that  took 
place  in  the  king's  reign. 

Now  there  was  in  the  king's  house  a  man  whose 
name  was  Ha-man.  And  the  king  gave  him  a  high 
place,  and  bade  those  of  low  rank  bow  down  to 
Ha-man. 

But  the  Jew  at  the  gate  would  not  bow  when 
Ha-man  went  in  and  out.  And  the  rest  of  the  men 
who  stood  by  told  Ha-man  of  it. 

Now  Ha-man  was  a  vain  man,  and  when  he  saw 


The    Good   Qzteen    Esther.  221 

that  Mor-de-ca-i  did  not  bow  to  him  as  the  rest  did 
he  was  full  of  wrath.  It  had  been  made  known  to 
him  that  Mor-de-ca-i  was  a  Jew. 

And  so  he  told  the  king  if  he  would  make  a  law 
that  all  the  Jews  should  be  put  to  death,  he  would 
give  him  a  large  sum  of  gold  and  sil-ver. 

The  king  heard  what  Ha-man  said,  and  then 
took  his  ring  from  his  hand  and  gave  it  to  Ha- 
man,  and  told  him  to  do  with  the  Jews  as  he  thought 
best.  The  king  gave  him  his  ring  that  he  might  use 
it  as  a  seal.  And  Ha-man  set  the  scribes  to  work, 
and  they  wrote  just  what  he  told  them,  in  the  king's 
name.  And  when  the  wax  was  put  at  the  end  with 
the  king's  seal  on  it,  it  was  the  same  as  if  the  whole 

O  ' 

had  been  writ  by  the  king's  own  hand. 

Men  were  sent  out  in  haste  to  make  the  law 
known  through-out  the  land,  that  all  the  Jews  in 
Per-si-a  were  to  be  slain.  And  when  this  was  done 
Ha-man  and  the  king  sat  down  to  drink  wine. 

When  Mor-de-ca-i  heard  of  the  law  that  Ha-man 
had  made,  he  rent  his  clothes  and  put  on  sack-cloth, 
and  went  out  and  cried  with  a  loud  cry.  And  he 
came  and  stood  in  front  of  the  king's  gate,  though  he 
could  not  pass  through,  for  it  was  the  law  that  none 
should  pass  who  wore  sack-cloth.  And  all  through 
the  land  the  Jews  were  in  deep  grief,  so  full  of 
tears  that  they  could  eat  no  food ;  and  not  a  few 


222  History  of  l/ie  Old   Testament. 

of  them    put  on   sack-cloth    to    show   the   depth    of 
their   woe. 

Queen  Es-ther  had  not  heard  of  the  law,  but  her 
maids  came  and  told  her  of  the  state  Mor-de-ca-i  was 
in.  And  her  grief  was  great,  and  she  sent  food  and 
clothes  to  him,  and  bade  the  men  take  the  sack-cloth 
from  him.  But  Mor-de-ca-i  would  take  nought  from 
their  hands,  nor  change  his  clothes. 

Then  the  queen  sent  one  of  her  head  men,  Ha- 
tach,  to  ask  Mor-de-ca-i  what  was  the  cause  of  his 
grief,  and  why  he  had  put  on  sack-cloth. 

And  Mor-de-ca-i  told  Ha-tach  of  the  law  that  had 
been  made,  and  what  a  large  sum  Ha-man  had  said 
he  would  give  to  the  king  if  he  would  kill  off  all  the 
Jews  in  the  land. 

And  he  told  Ha-tach  to  tell  the  queen,  and  to 
show  her  what  the  scribes  wrote,  and  bid  her  see  the 
king  and  ask  him  to  save  the  Jews. 

And  Ha-tach  took  the  word  to  the  queen. 

Es-ther  bade  him  tell  her  kins-man  that  it  was 
well  known  that  those  who  went  in  to  the  king  when 
they  had  not  been  sent  for,  would  be  put  to  death. 
But  if  the  king  held  out  his  gold  wand  it  was  a  sign 
that  he  would  spare  their  lives.  The  king  has  not 
sent  for  me  fora  month,  said  she.  How  then  can  I 
go  to  him  ? 

Mor-de-ca-i  sent  back  word  to  the  queen  to  think 


The    Good   Queen   Esther. 


223 


not  that  the  king  would  spare  her  life  if  the  Jews  were 
put  to  death.  And  it  might  be  that  God  had  put  her 
in  the  place  she  held 
that  she  might  keep 
the  Jews  at  this  time. 

Then  Es-ther  sent 
word  to  him  that  he 
and  all  the  Jews  in  the 
king's  court  should  fast 
and  pray  for  her,  and 
not  eat  or  drink  for 
three  days  and  three 
nights. 

I  and  my  maids 
will  do  the  same,  said 
the  queen,  and  I  will 
go  in  to  the  king  in 
spite  of  the  law;  and 


die 


in   a 


if   I    die,    I 
good  cause. 

So  on  the  third  day 
after  the  queen  put 
on  her  rich  robes,  and 
went  in  and  stood 
ve-ry  near  to  the  throne  on  which  the  king  sat. 

And  when  the  king  saw  her,  God  put  it  in-to  his 
heart  to  be  kind,  and  he  held  out  to  her  the  gold 


ES-THER    AT    SHUS-HAN. 


224  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

wand  that  was  in  his  hand.      And  the  queen  drew 
near,  and  touched  the  tip  of  the  wand. 

Then  the  king  said,  What  wilt  thou,  Queen  Es- 
ther? and  what  wouldst  thou  ask  of  me?  Were  it 
half  of  my  realm  I  would  give  it  to  thee. 

The  queen  said,  If  it  please  the  king,  I  would 
like  him  and  Ha-man  to  come  this  day  to  a  feast  I 
have  made  for  them. 

And  the  king  bade  Ha-man  make  haste,  and 
they  both  went  to  the  feast.  And  while  they  drank 
the  wine  the  king  told  the  queen  to  make  known  her 
wish. 

But  she  put  him  off  and  said  she  would  tell  him 
the  next  day,  if  he  and  Ha-man  would  come  to  the 
feast  that  she  would  spread  for  them. 

And  Ha-man's  heart  was  full  of  pride,  since  the 
queen  chose  him  and  no  one  else  to  feast  with  her 
and  the  king.  And  when  he  went  out  he  felt  that 
all  men  ought  to  bow  down  to  him.  But  Mor-de- 
ca-i  would  not.  And  Ha-man  told  all  his  friends 
how  kind  the  king  and  queen  were  to  him,  and 
what  high  rank  he  held,  and  said  that  his  life  would 
be  full  of  joy  if  it  were  not  for  the  Jew  at  the  king's 
gate. 

Ha-man's  wife  told  him  to  fix  a  rope  to  a  tall 
tree,  and  speak  to  the  king  the  next  day  and  have 
him  hang  the  Jew.  And  Ha-man  made  a  slip-noose 


The    Good    Queen   Esther.  225 

at  the  end  of  a  rope,  and  had  the  rope  made  fast  to 
a  tall  tree. 

Now  that  night  the  king  could  not  sleep.  And 
he  sent  for  the  book  in.  which  was  put  down  all  that 
took  place  in  the  realm,  and  had  it  read  to  him. 
And  when  he  who  read  came  to  the  part  which  told 
what  Mor-de-ca-i  had  done  to  save  the  king's  life,  the 
king  said,  How  has  Mor-de-cari  been  paid  for  this 
deed  ? 

And  the  man  said  he  had  had  nought,  and  still 
kept  watch  at  the  king's  gate. 

Then  the  king  heard  a  step  and  sent  one'  of 
his  men  to  see  who  it  was. 

Now  Ha-man  had  come  to  the  king's  house  to 
ask  him  to  hang  Mor-de-ca-i.  And  the  man  came 
back  and  said  that  Ha-man  stood  in  the  court.  And 
the  king  said,  Let  him  come  in. 

So  Ha-man  came  in.  And  the  king  said  to  him, 
What  shall  be  done  to  the  man  who  has  won  the 
praise  of  the  king? 

And  Ha-man  thought,  That  means  me,  of  course, 
and  no  one  else. 

And  he  said  to  the  king,  Let  the  robes  be  brought 
that  the  king  wears,  and  the  horse  he  rides,  and  the 
crown  which  is  set  on  his  head.  And  let  the  robes 
and  the  crown  be  put  on  the  man  whom  the  king  has 
in  mind,  and  bring  him  on  horse-back  through  the 


226  History  of  the  Old  Testament. 

street  of  the  town,  and  have  men  cry  out,  Thus  shall 
it  be  done  to  the  man  who  has  won  the  praise  of  the 
king. 

And  the  king  said  to  Ha-man,  Make  haste  and 
take  the  robes  and  the  horse  as  thou  hast  said,  and 
do  thus  and  no  less  to  the  Jew  at  the  king's  gate. 

But  Ha-man  went  home,  and  was  full  of  shame. 
And  he  told  his  wife  and  his  friends  of  his  hard  fate. 
And  while  they  yet  spake  the  king's  men  came  for 
him  to  go  to  the  queen's  feast.  And  while  they  ate 
and  drank,  the  king  bade  the  queen  make  known  her 
wish.  Ask  what  thou  wilt ;  were  it  half  my  realm,  I 
would  give  it  to  thee. 

Then  the  queen  said,  If  it  please  thee,  O  king, 
take  my  life  and  spare  the  lives  of  all  the  Jews.  For 
we  have  been  sold  and  the  truth  has  not  been  told  ot 
us,  and  we  are  to  be  put  to  death.  The  king  said, 
Who  is  he,  and  where  is  he  who  has  dared  to  do 
this  thing? 

And  the  queen  told  him  it  was  Ha-man.  And 
Ha-man  was  in  great  fear  as  he  stood  face  to  face 
with  the  king  and  queen. 

The  king  rose  in  great  wrath  and  went  out  of 
doors,  and  when  he  came  in  he  saw  Ha-man  at  the 
feet  of  the  queen,  where  he  went  to  beg  her  to  save 
his  life. 

And  when  the  king  was  shown  the  rope  and  the 


The    Good   Queen    EstJier.  227 

tree  on  which  Ha-man  meant  to  hang  Mor-de-ca-i 
he  said,  Hang  him  on  it.  And  they  hung  Ha-man, 
and  the  king's  wrath  left  him. 

And  on  the  same  day  the  king  gave  Ha-man's 
house  to  Es-ther,  and  Mor-de-ca-i  was  brought  in  to 
the  king,  who  had  been  told  that  he  was  a  kins-man 
of  the  queen.  And  the  king  gave  him  the  ring  which 
Ha-man  had  worn,  and  the  queen  put  him  at  the 
head  of  the  house  in  which  Ha-man  had  dwelt. 

But  Es-ther  was  still  sad  at  heart  be-cause  of  the 
law  that  had  been  made,  that  all  the  Jews  in  the  land 
should  be  put  to  death.  And  she  went  in  once 
more  to  the  king — though  he  had  not  sent  for  her 
—and  fell  down  at  his  feet  in  tears.  Then  the  king 
held  out  the  wand  of  gold,  and  the  queen  rose,  and 
stood  be-fore  the  king  and  asked  him  to  change  the 
law  and  save  the  lives  ot  the  Jews. 

The  king  could  not  change  the  law,  but  he  told 
Es-ther  and  Mor-de-ca-i  to  make  a  law  that  would 
please  them  and  sign  it  with  the  king's  seal.  So  they 
made  a  law  that  the  Jews  should  kill  all  those  who 
came  to  do  them  harm.  And  when  Mor-de-ca-i 
came  out  from  his  talk  with  the  king  he  had  on  a 
robe  of  blue  and  white,  such  as  the  king  wore,  and 
a  gold  crown  on  his  head. 

And  all  the  Jews  were  glad;  and  when  the  day 
came  that  Ha-man  had  set  for  the  Jews  to  be  slain, 


228  History  of  the   Old   Testament. 

the  Jews  went  out  and  fought  for  their  lives  and  put 
their  foes  to  rout.  And  grief  gave  place  to  joy,  and 
a  feast  was  held  for  two  days.  This  feast  was  called 
the  Feast  of  Pu-rim,  which  the  Jews  keep  to  this 
day. 

The  Jews  who  had  gone  to  Je-ru-sa-lem  to  build 
up  its  walls  were  still  at  work  there.  But  there  were 
foes  to  watch,  and  the  poor  Jews  found  fault  with 
the  rich  ones,  and  there  was  strife  in  their  midst 
from  year  to  year.  But  when  Ne-he-mi-ah  went  to 
,their  aid  the  Lord  gave  him  strength  to  set  things 
straight,  and  in  a  year  the  new  wall  was  built  and 
the  gate  put  up.  Then  there  was  a  great  feast,  and 
all  the  Jews  gave  praise  and  thanks  to  God. 

But  they  went  back  to  their  sins,  and  did  not 
serve  God  as  they  ought.  And  kings  fought  for  Je- 
ru-sa-lem  and  took  it  from  their  hands  and  made  the 
Jews  their  slaves. 

And  at  last  the  Ro-mans  came  and  took  Je-ru-sa- 
lem  and  broke  down  its  walls,  and  made  the  Jews 
serve  them.  And  He-rod, .who  had  led  the  Ro-mans 
to  war,  was  made  their  king.  He  was  a  fierce,  bad 
man,  who  would  let  no  one  rule  but  him-self.  He 
put  his  own  wife  and  two  of  his  sons  to  death,  and 
did  all  that  he  could  to  make  folks  hate  and  fear  him. 

He  tried  to  make  the  Jews  think  that  he  was  one  of 
their  race,  but  he  was  not.  He  thought  it  would 


The    Good   Queen   Esther.  229 

please  them  if  he  built  up  their  House  of  God,  So  he 
set  men  to  work  to  tear  down  the  old  and  to  put  up 
the  new,  and  they  made  use  of  much  gold  and  sil-ver 
and  fine  white  stones. 

There  was  no  ark  to  put  in  it,  for  that  had  been 
lost,  but  a  large  stone  was  put  in  the  place  where  the 
ark  should  have  been. 

And  it  took  He-rod  more  than  nine  years  to  build 
this  House  of  God  on  the  top  of  Mount  Mo-ri-ah. 
And  the  way  up  to  it  was  by  a  long  flight  of  steps. 

This  ends  the  Old  Tes-ta-ment,  which  was  made 
up  of  all  the  books  that  were  kept  by  all  the  scribes 
from  the  time  the  world  was  made. 


The  New  Testament 


CHRIST   IN  THE  TEM-PLE. 


232 


TH© 


OF= 


History  of  the  New  Testament 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    BIRTH    OF    CHRIST. 

THE  time  was  near  for  Je-sus  to  come  on  the 
earth.  God  had  told  Ad-am  and  Eve  of  one  who 
would  save  them  from  their  sins.  Mo-ses,  and  all  the 
seers  and  wise  men,  spoke  of  him  who  was  to  give 
men  new  hearts,  and  help  them  to  lead  new  lives. 

In  the  days  of  He-rod,  king  of  Ju-dah,  there  was 
a  priest  named  Zach-a-ri-as.  His  wife's  name  was 
E-liz-a-beth.  They  were  both  old,  and  had  led  pure 
lives,  and  sought  to  keep  God's  laws.  But  they  had 
no  child. 

One  day  when  the  priest  was  in  the  house  of 
God  by  one  of  the  al-tars,  an  an-gel  came  and  stood 
near  him.  And  when  the  priest  saw  him  he  shook 
with  fear. 

But  the  an-gel  said :  Fear  not,  Zach-a-ri-as,  for 
God  will  give  thee  and  thy  uwife  a  son,  and  thou 
shalt  call  his  name  John. 

He  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and 
shall  not  drink  wine  nor  strong  drink,  and  shall  turn 
the  hearts  of  men  to  the  Lord  their  God, 

235 


236  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Then  Zach-a-ri-as  said  to  the  an-gel,  But  how 
shall  I  know  that  these  things  will  be? 

And  the  an-gel  said  to  him,  I  am  the  an-gel 
Ga-bri-el,  who  stands  near  to  God,  and  he  has  sent 
me  to  tell  thee  this  good  news.  And  for  thy  lack  of 
faith  thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and  speak  not  a  word  till 
the  day  that  these  things  come  to  pass. 

Now  those  who  were  in  the  courts  of  God's  house 
thought  it  strange  that  Zach-a-ri-as  should  stay  so 
long  at  the  al-tar  where  he  burnt  the  in-cense. 

And  when  he  came  out  he  could  not  speak  to 
them,  but  made  them  know  by  signs  that  he  had 
seen  a  strange  sight. 

Six  months  from  this  time  God  sent  the  an-gel 
Ga-bri-el  to  the  town  of  Naz-a-reth,  to  a  young  wo- 
man there  whose  name  was  Ma-ry.  She  was  one  of 
the  heirs  of  King  Da-vid. 

When  Ma-ry  saw  the  an-gel  she  was  in  great 
fear,  for  she  knew  not  why  he  had  come.  And  the 
an-gel  said:  Fear  not,  Ma-ry,  for  God  has  blessed 
thee.  Thou  shalt  have  a  son,  and  shalt  call  his 
name  JE-SUS.  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  called 
the  Son  of  God.  A^d  God  will  make  him  a  king, 
and  to  his  reign  there  shall  be  no  end. 

Ma-ry  said:    How  can  this  be? 

The  an-gel  told  her  that  what  might  seem  hard 
for  her  was  not  hard  for  God,  who  could  do  all 


THE   AN-NUN-CIA-TION. 


238  History  of  the  New    Testament, 

things.  He  had  told  E-liz-a-beth  that  she  should 
have  a  son,  and  he  had  now  sent  word  to  Ma-ry 
that  she  should  have  a  son;  and  what  he  had  said 
he  would  do. 

Then  Ma-ry  said,  Let  the  Lord's  will  be  done. 
And  the  an-gel  left  her. 

Ma-ry  made  haste  and  went  to  the  land  of  Ju- 
dah,  and  to  the  house  of  E-liz-a-beth  and  Zach-a- 
ri-as,  where  she  spent  three  months.  Then  she  came 
back  to  her  own  home.  Jo-seph  was  the  name  of 
Ma-ry's  hus-band ;  and  he  was  a  Jew,  of  King  Da- 
vid's line.  They  were  both  poor,  and  Jo-seph  had 
to  work  hard  at  his  trade.  He  was  a  car-pen-ter. 

God  gave  Zach-a-ri-as  and  E-liz-a-beth  the  son 
that  he  said  they  should  have.  And  when  the  child 
was  eight  days  old,  the  friends  and  kins-folk  came 
to  see  it  and  to  give  it  a  name.  Most  of  them  said, 
Call  him  Zach-a-ri-as. 

But  the  child's  mo-ther  said,  Not  so.  He  shall 
be  called  John. 

And  they  said,  There  is  none  of  thy  kin-dred 
that  is  called  by  this  name. 

And  they  made  signs  to  the  fa-ther  that  he 
should  let  them  know  by  what  name  the  child  should 
be  called. 

And  the  fa-ther  sat  down  and  wrote:  His  name 
is  John.  And  they  all  thought  this  strange,  as  he 


The  Birth  of  Christ.  239 

had  not  told  them  of  the  an-gel  who  spoke  to  him  in 
the  house  of  God. 

As  soon  as  Zach-a-ri-as  wrote  these  words  his 
speech  came  back  to  him,  and  he  gave  praise  and 
thanks  to  God.  And  all  the  folks  in  that  part  of  the 
land  heard  of  these  things,  and  they  said,  What 
sort  of  a  child  shall  this  be?  And  the  boy  grew 
tall  and  strong,  and  the  Lord  blest  him,  and  he  went 
out  and  dwelt  in  the  woods  and  waste  lands  till  he 
was  a  man,  and  it  was  time  for  him  to  preach  to  the 
Jews  and  to  tell  them  of  Je-sus. 

Now  the  king  of  Rome  was  called  a  Ce-sar, 
in  the  speech  of  that  land,  and  the  Jews  had  to  do 
just  as  he  said,  for  they  were  his  slaves.  And  he 
made  a  law  that  the  names  of  all  the  Jews  should 
be  put  down  in  a  book,  that  it  might  be  known  what 
tribe  they  came  from,  and  what  they  were  worth. 
Then,  too,  it  would  not  be  a  hard  task  to  count  them 
when  the  Ce-sar  wished  to  know  how  large  a  force 
of  them  was  in  this  land  he  had  fought  for  and  won. 

And  each  Jew  was  to  go  to  that  part  of  the  land 
where  his  fore-fa-thers  dwelt,  and  have  his  name  put 
down  in  the  book  at  that  place. 

So,  as  Jo-seph  and  his  wife  were  of  the  house  of 
Da-vid,  they  both  set  out  for  the  town  of  Beth-le- 
hem,  where  Da-vid  used  to  feed  his  sheep.  The 
way  was  long,  and  when  they  came  to  the  town  they 


240  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

found  a  great  crowd  of  folks  there.  There  was  no 
room  for  Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry  at  the  inn,  and  they 
knew  no  one  at  whose  house  they  could  stay. 

As  they  went  from  place  to  place  in  search  of  a 
room,  they  came  to  a  shed  in  which  was  a  great 
trough  or  man-ger  full  of  hay,  where  the  poor  folks 
who  came  to  town  fed  the  beasts  on  which  they  rode. 

So  Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry  made  their  home  in  this 
shed  while  they  had  to  wait  to  have  their  names  put 
down.  And  while  they  were  there  God  gave  to 
Ma-ry  the  son  that  he  said  she  should  have. . 

And  as  she  had  no  fine  soft  clothes  to  wrap  the 
babe  in,  she  took  bands  of  cloth  and  put  round  him, 
and  laid  him  on  the  straw  in  the  man-ger. 

In  those  days  rich  men  kept  large  flocks  of  sheep 
and  goats,  and  had  men  watch  them  at  night  for 
fear  that  wild  beasts  would  seize  and  kill  them.  The 
men  who  fed  and  took  care  of  the  sheep  were  called 
shep-herds. 

One  night,  as  some  shep-herds  were  on  the  hills 
where  they  kept  watch  of  their  flocks,  the  an-gel 
of  the  Lord  came  down  to  them.  And  a  bright 
light  shone  round  them  so  that  they  were  in  great  fear. 

And  the  an-gel  said  to  them,  Fear  not,  for  I 
bring  you  good  news  which  shall  give  joy  to  all  the 
land.  For  Christ,  the  Lord,  is  born  for  you  this 
day,  in  the  town  of  Beth-le-hem,  and  he  will  save 


THE  NA-TIV-I-TY. 


241 


242  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

you  from  your  sins.  And  this  is  the  way  ye  shall 
know  him :  Ye  shall  find  the  babe  wrapped  in  bands 
of  cloth  and  laid  in  a  man-ger. 

When  the  an-gel  had  said  this,  there  came,  like 
a  flash  of  light,  a  great  host  of  an-gels  who  gave 
praise  to  God,  and  sang,  Glo-ry  be  to  God  on  high, 
and  on  earth,  peace  and  good-will  to  men. 

When  the  an-gels  had  left  them  the  shep-herds 
said,  Let  us  go  at  once  to  Beth-le-hem  and  see 
these  things  of  which  the  an-gel  has  told  us. 

And  they  came  with  haste,  and  found  Ma-ry  and 
Jo-seph,  and  the  babe  that  lay  in  the  man-ger  where 
the  ox  and  ass  used  to  feed.  And  when  they  had 
seen  the  child,  they  went  out  and  told  what  the  an- 
gel had  said  to  them.  And  those  who  heard  were 
filled  with  awe,  for  it  was  the  first  time  that  such  a 
thing  had  been  done  in  the  world.  And  the  strange 
news  spread  fast. 

Ma-ry  told  no  one  of  the  talk  she  had  had  with 
the  an-gel,  but  thought  much  of  these  things,  and 
took  the  best  of  care  of  the  new-born  babe.  It  did 
not  seem  as  if  it  could  be  her  own  child. 

When  the  babe  was  eight  days  old,  its  fa-ther  and 
mo-ther  gave  it  the  name  of  JE-SUS,  as  the  an-gel  had 
bid  them.  And  they  gave  him  to  the  Lord;  that  is, 
they  vowed  to  the  priest  that  they  would  bring  up 
the  child  to  serve  God  and  to  lead  a  good  life.  For 


The  Birth  of  Christ. 


243 


though  he  was  the  son  of  God  he  was  sent  on  earth 
to  teach  men  what  they  ought  to  do. 

Now  there  was  a 
man  in  Je-ru-sa-lem 
whose  name  was  Sim- 
e-on.  He  was  a  good 
man,  and  did  what 
was  right,  and  for 
years  he  had  been  on 
the  watch  for  one  of 
whom  the  seers  had 
told,  and  who  was  to 
save  men  from  their 
sins. 

And  it  was  made 
known  to  Sim-e-on 
in  a  dream  that  he 
should  not  die  till 
he  had  seen  this 
King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords. 

Sim-e-on  was  a 
priest  in  the  house  of 
God,  and  when  Jo- 
seph and  Ma-ry  brought  in  the  child  Je-sus,  he  took 
it  up  in  his  arms  and  blest  God,  and  said :  Now, 
Lord,  thy  words  have  come  true,  and  I  can  die  in 


SIM-E-ON   IN   THE   TEM-PLE. 


244  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

peace,  for  I  have  seen  him  who  is  to  be  the  light  of 
the  world,  and  to  save  men  from  their  sins! 

Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry  knew  not  what  to  make  of 
this  strange  speech.  And  the  priest  blest  them,  and 
gave  the  child  back  to  his  mo-ther,  and  told  her  of 
some  of  the  great  things  he  would  do  when  he  grew 
up  to  be  a  man. 

And  there  was  one  An-na,  who  kept  all  the  fasts, 
and  served  God  night  and  day.  She  was  four-score 
and  four  years  old,  and  could  fore-tell  what  was  to 
take  place,  and  her  fame  was  great.  And  she  came 
in-to  the  house  of  God  while  Sim-e-on  yet  spoke,  and 
gave  thanks  to  the  Lord,  and  told  of  him  who  was 
to  come  to  save  the  Jews,  and  to  give  them  back 
their  rights. 

Then  Ma-ry  and  Jo-seph  went  back  to  their  own 
home  in  Naz-a-reth.  And  the  child  grew,  and  was 
strong,  and  wise,  and  God  blest  him  from  day  to  day. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    STAR    IN    THE    EAST. 


IN  these  days  God  spoke  to  men  by  strange 
signs,  and  wise  ones  were  all  the  time  on  the  watch 
for  them.  They  had  read  in  their  old  books  of  a 


The  Star  in  the  East.  245 

star  that  was  to  shine  with  a  bright  light,  and  each 

night  they  would  raise  their  eyes  to  the  sky,  in  hopes 

that  they  might  see  this  sign  that  would  bring  hope 

and  joy  to  the  whole  race  of  Jews.      But  years  and 

years  had  gone  by,  and 

the  Jews  had  no  land  of 

their  own,  and  were  as 

slaves  to  the  Ce-sar  of 

Rome.      And   He-rod, 

their    king,    was    most 

harsh   to   them,   for  he 

had  skill  in  the  use  of 

a  sword,  but  not  in  the 

use  of  kind    words,   or 

good  deeds. 

One  night  as  a  wise 
man  lay  on  the  roof  of 
his  house,  with  hisgaze 
fixed  on  the  great  broad 
sky,  he  gave  a  start  and 
cry  of  joy,  for  there 
shone  a  new  star  of  such 
size  that  all  the  rest  of 
the  stars  grew  dim  and  small.  And  it  was  as  if  the 
sun  had  burst  through  a  dark  cloud,  and  brought 
the  dawn  some  hours  too  soon,  for  the  whole  East 
was  full  of  light  from  the  long  rays  of  this  new  star. 


THE   GUID-ING   STAR. 


246  History  of  Ike  New    Testament. 

And  the  star  seemed  to  move,  and  its  rays  to 
point  all  one  way.  And  the  wise  men  who  saw  it 
knew  that  the  light  had  come  for  which  they  had 
looked  and  prayed  so  long,  and  they  set  out  at  once 
with  the  star  to  guide  them,  and  they  took  rich  gifts 
with  them.  Each  night  it  shone  in  the  sky,  and  led 
them  on  and  on  till  they  came  to  Je-ru-sa-lem.  And 
they  said  to  those  they  met  there,  Where  is  he  that 
is  born  to  be  King  of  the  Jews?  for  we  have  seen 
his  star  in  the  east,  and  have  come  to  kneel  down  at 
his  feet. 

When  He-rod  heard  of  these  things,  and  that 
they  spoke  of  Je-sus  as  King,  he  was  in  great  fear 
lest  he  should  lose  his  throne.  So  he  sent  for  his 
chief  priests  and  scribes  that  they  might  tell  him 
where  Christ  should  be  born.  And  they  read  from 
their  old  books  that  it  had  been  fore-told  that  he 
should  be  born  in  Beth-le-hem. 

Then  He-rod  sent  for  the  wise  men,  and  told 
them  to  go  to  Beth-le-hem,  and  search  for  the  young 
child.  And  when  ye  find  him,  said  he,  bring  me 
back  word  that  I  too  may  fall  down  at  his  feet  and 
give  him  praise. 

But  this  he  did  not  mean  to  do,  for  his  plan  was 
to  put  the  child  to  death  just  as  soon  as  he  could 
find  out  where  it  was. 

When  the  king  had  ceased  to  speak,   the  wise 


THE   SHKP-HKUDS   OF   BETH-LE-HEM. 


248  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

men  from  the  east  left  Je-ru-sa-lem,  and  went  on 
their  way  to  Beth-le-hem.  And  the  star  led  them 
on  and  on,  and  was  like  the  face  of  a  friend.  And 
a  small,  still  voice  seemed  to  say  to  them: — Come! 
-Come! — Come!  And  it  drew  them  so  that  they 
would  have  gone  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  When 
troops  are  on  the  march,  and  through  their  ranks 
goes  the  cry  of  Halt!  then  each  foot  must  stand 
still,  and  not  a  man  moves  from  his  place. 

And  when  the  wise  men  came  to  Beth-le-hem, 
lo,  the  star  that  had  led  them  stood  still  in  the  sky, 
right  o'er  the  place  where  the  young  child  was. 
And  when  they  went  in-to  the  house  they  saw  the 
young  child,  with  Ma-ry,  his  mo-ther,  and  they  fell 
on  their  knees  and  bowed  down  to  him  as  if  he  had 
been  a  king.  And  they  brought  him  gifts  of  great 
worth,  and  gold  and  myrrh  and  rich  gums  and 
spice  that  can  be  found  only  in  those  lands  in  the 
far  East. 

And  God  spoke  to  them  in  a  dream,  and  told 
them  not  to  go  back  to  He-rod,  so  they  went  home 
not  by  the  same  road  they  had  come. 

When  He-rod  found  that  the  wise  men  had  not 
done  as  he  bade  them,  he  was  in  a  great  rage,  and 
sent  men  to  Beth-le-hem,  and  slew  all  the  chil-dren 
there  who  were  two  years  old  or  less,  for  then  he 
was  sure  that  Je-sus  would  be  slain. 


240 


25° 


History  of  the  New   Testament, 


But  ere  He-rod's  men  came,  God  spoke  to  Jo- 
seph in  a  dream,  and  said,  Rise,  and  take  thy  wife 
and  thy  son,  and  flee  into  E-gypt,  and  stay  there  till 

I  bring  thee  word ; 
for  He-rod  will  seek 
the  youqg  child  to 
kill  him. 

So  Jo-seph  did  as 
the  Lord  told  him, 
and  took  his  wife  and 
child  out  of  Beth-le- 
hem  by  night,  and 
went  to  dwell  in  the 
Land  of  E-gypt. 

But  when  He-rod 
was  dead,  God  spoke 
to  Jo-seph  in  a  dream, 
and  told  him  to  take 
his  wife  and  son  and 
go  back  to  the  land 
of  Is-ra-el,  for  the 
man  was  dead  who 
sought  to  kill  the  young  child.  And  Jo-seph  did 
as  the  an-gel  told  him,  and  he  and  his  wife  and 
child  came  and  dwelt  in  Naz-a-reth. 


THE   FLIGHT   IN-TO   E-GYPT. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  BOYHOOD  OF  JESUS. 

IT  was  in  the  first  month  of  the  year  that  God 
brought  the  Jews  out  of  E-gypt  and  led  them  through 
the  Red  Sea. 

And  he  made  it  a  law  that  in  the  first  month  of 
each  year  they  should  all  meet  at  one  place,  and 
bring  the  young  lambs  and  calves  and  the  first  fruits 
of  the  field  and  give  thanks  to  God  in  the  way  they 
had  been  taught.  And  this  they  were  to  do  all  the 
days  of  their  life.  And  this  feast,  which  was  to  last 
not  quite  two  months,  was  known  as  the  Feast  of  the 
Weeks.  There  were  days  they  were  to  fast,  and 
days  they  were  to  feast,  and  they  were  to  call  to 
mind  that  they  were  once  slaves,  and  that  God  had 
set  them  free,  and  with  glad  hearts  praise  and  bless 
his  great  name. 

The  place  where  the  Jews  now  met  was  at  Je-ru- 
sa-lem,  and  Je-sus  was  twelve  years  old  when  he 
went  up  for  the  first  time,  with  Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry, 
to  keep  the  Feast  of  the  Weeks. 

There  was  a  great  crowd  there,  and  friends  to 
meet  and  talk  with,  and  it  must  have  been  a  hard 


252  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

task  to  keep  track  of  the  young  folks,  who  found  so 
much  to  see  and  to  hear  that  was  new  and  strange. 

When  the  days  of  the  feast  were  at  an  end,  Jo- 
seph and  Ma-ry  set  out  for  their  home  in  Naz-a-reth. 

They  had  gone  out  with  a  band  of  friends  and 


NAZ-A-RETH. 


folks  from  the  same  town,  and  were  to  come  backsin 
the  same  way.  It  was  not  safe  for  them  to  go  by 
them-selves,  for  there  were  waste  lands  to  cross  where 
bands  of  thieves  lay  in  wait  for  a  chance  to  rob  and 
to  kill  those  who  came  their  way. 

Some   rode  on  mules,  some  on    horse-back,  and 


The  Boyhood  of  Jesus. 


253 


some  had  to  walk  all  the  way.  Je-sus  was  not  with 
Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry,  but  they  thought  he  must  be 
with  some  of  the  friends  or  kins-folk.  But  when  at 
the  end  of  a  day's  ride  he  came  not  near  them,  they 


JE-SUS   WITH   THE   DOC-TORS   IN   THE  TEM-PLE. 


sought   for  him  in  the  groups  of  friends  and   kins- 
folk, where  there  were  lads  of  his  own  age. 

And  when  they  found  him  not,  they  went  back 
to  Je-ru-sa-lem,  and  sought  for  him  with  hearts  full 
of  grief,  for  they  knew  not  what  harm  might  have 
come  to  him. 


254  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

For  three  days  they  went  from  house  to  house, 
and  through  the  lanes  and  streets,  but  could  see  no 
signs  of  the  boy  they  had  lost. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  they  went  in-to  the 
house  of  God,  it  may  have  been  to  pray  that  their 
child  might  be  found,  and  there  a  strange  sight  met 
their  gaze. 

Je-sus  sat  in  the  midst  of  the  wise  men,  whose 
place  it  was  to  teach  and  to  preach  to  those  who 
came  up  to  the  feasts,  and  the  old  men  bent  their 
heads  to  hear  what  the  young  lad  had  to  say.  For 
it  was  the  first  time  they  had  met  with  one  so  young 
in  years  who  was  so  wise  in  speech,  and  they  felt 
in  their  hearts  that  he  must  have  been  taught 
of  God. 

When  Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry  saw  Je-sus  they  were 
struck  dumb,  and  could  do  naught  but  stare,  as  if  it 
was  a  scene  in  a  dream.  Then  Ma-ry  said,  My 
son,  why  didst  thou  vex  us  thus?  we  have  sought  for 
thee  with  sad  hearts. 

Je-sus  said,  Why  did  ye  look  for  me?  Do  ye 
not  know  that  I  must  do  the  work  that  my  fa-ther 
has  set  me  to  do? 

Jo-seph  and  Ma-ry  did  not  know  what  he  meant 
by  these  words,  or  that  God  had  sent  Je-sus  on  earth 
to  teach  men  how  to  read  the  word  of  God  a-right, 
and  how  to  save  their  souls  from  death. 


The  Boyhood  of  Jesus.  255 

Je-sus  went  back  to  Naz-a-reth  with  Jo-seph  and 
Ma-ry,  and  was  a  good  son  to  them.  And  he  grew 
wise  and  tall,  and  was  blest  of  God,  and  won  the 
hearts  of  all  who  were  near  him,  for  they  saw  in 
him  much  to  love. 

It  was  not  known  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God, 
and  he  made  friends  by  his  own  sweet  ways,  for  he 
was  a  poor  boy. 

Naught  was  heard  or  known  of  Je-sus  for  some 
years,  and  we  are  led  to  think  that  he  was  taught 
how  to  use  the  axe,  and  saw,  and  plane,  and  to  work 
at  the  same  trade  his  fa-ther  did.  This  gave  him  a 
chance  to  see  how  folks  lived,  and  to  use  his  eyes 
and  ears  as  he  went  from  house  to  house,  so  that 
when  he  went  forth  to  teach  he  could  tell  them  of 
their  sins,  and  show  them  how  vile  they  were. 

And  this  part  of  the  life  of  Je-sus — of  which  not  a 
word  is  told  in  the  New  Test-a-ment — is  to  teach  us 
to  stay  in  the  place  where  God  has  put  us,  and  to  do 
our  work  there  in  the  best  way  we  know  how. 

Je-sus  was  at  school  then,  just  as  boys  and  girls 
in  these  days  go  to  school,  and  strive  to  grow  wise 
and  to  fit  them-selves  for  the  work  they  are  to  do  in 
the  world.  And  though  he  was  to  be  a  king  he  did 
not  put  on  airs,  or  sit  and  fold  his  hands  and  bid 
those  that  were  near  wait  on  him  and  be  at  his  beck 
and  call.  No!  he  was  born  and  brought  up  with 


256  History  of  the    New    Testament. 

poor  folks,  to  teach  us  that  Je-sus  is  more  at  home 
with  the  poor  than  he  is  with  the  rich ;  and  to  be 
Christ-like  we  must  seek  to  please  God,  to  do  his 
will,  to  put  down  pride,  and  keep  sin  out  of  our 
hearts. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

JESUS    AND    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST. 

You  have  been  told  that  John  went  out  in-to  the 
woods  and  waste  lands  when  quite  a  young  man. 
He  fed  on  lo-custs  and  wild  hon-ey,  and  his  clothes 
were  made  of  the  skin  of  the  cam-el,  with  the  long 
rough  hair  on  the  out-side. 

The  time  had  now  come  for  him  to  go  out  in  the 
world  to  tell  of  Je-sus,  and  to  bid  men  give  up  their 
sins  and  walk  in  the  right  path. 

And  he  went  to  a  place  near  the  Jor-dan  and 
crowds  came  there  to  hear  him.  And  he  told  them 
that  he  had  been  sent  to  warn  them  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come.  He  said  they  must  not  think  they 
would  be  saved  be-cause  they  were  sons  or  heirs  of 
good  men  who  had  served  God  and  died  in  the  faith. 
He  told  them  that  each  one  was  to  be  like  a  tree, 
and  to  stand  in  his  place  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and 
serve  God  in  the  best  way  that  he  could.  And 


JOHN    THE   BAP-TIS1:. 


258  History  of  the  New  Testament. 

each  tree,  said  John,  which  brings  not  forth  good 
fruit  is  cut  down  and  cast  in-to  the  fire.  He  told 
them  they  must  be  good  and  kind  to  each  oth-er,  and 
must  give  food  and  clothes  to  those  who  were  in  need 
of  such  things.  They  must  not  tell  lies,  nor  steal,  nor 
be  vain  and  proud,  but  they  must  show  by  the  way 
they  lived  that  they  loved  God  and  were  glad  to  do 
his  will. 

And  when  those  who  heard  him  felt  a  great  hate 
for  sin,  and  a  strong  wish  to  lead  good  lives,  and 
to  be  saved  from  the  wrath  of  God,  they  spoke  to 
John  and  he  led  them  down  to  the  Jor-dan  and  they 
were  bap-tiz-ed  in  the  stream. 

Now  wa-ter  will  wash  the  stains  from  our  clothes, 
and  cleanse  our  skin,  but  it  will  not  wash  our  sins 
away.  To  do  this  we  must  have  Christ  in  our  hearts. 
Some  of  those  who  heard  John  talk  thought  that  he 
might  be  the  Christ  who  was  to  come,  and  of  whom 
the  proph-ets  had  fore-told  since  the  days  of  Mos-es. 
Some  were  quite  sure  of  it ;  but  oth-ers  shook  their 
heads,  for  they  had  made  up  their  minds  that  he  who 
was  to  come  and  rule  over  them  would  be  dressed  like 
a  king,  and  not  in  such  plain  clothes  as  John  wore. 

John  heard  their  words,  or  guessed  their  thoughts, 
and  he  said  to  these  Jews,  I  indeed  bap-tize  you  with 
wa-ter,  but  he  who  is  to  come  af-ter  me,  and  who  is 
great-er  than  I,  will  bap-tize  you  with  fire. 


Jesus  and  John   tke   Baptist.  259 

That  meant  that  Je-sus  would  be  in  their  hearts 
like  a  fire,  to  burn  up  all  that  was  bad,  as  they  burnt 
the  chaff  that  was  blown  loose  from  the  wheat. 

Then  Je-sus  came  from  his  home  in  Naz-a-reth 
to  have  John  bap-tize  him  in  Jor-dan's  stream.  But 
John  would  not.  He  said  there  was  more  need  that 
Je-sus  should  bap-tize  him.  He  felt  that  there  was 
need  to  have  his  own  sins  washed  a- way,  but  Je-sus 
had  no  sins.  So  why  dost  thou  come  to  me?  said  John. 

Je-sus  had  come  on  the  earth  as  a  man  to  do 
God's  will,  and  to  teach  man-kind  how  to  walk  in 
the  right  path  and  keep  their  hearts  free'  from  sin. 
And  he  told  John,  that  all  these  things  would  be 
made  plain  to  him  some  day,  and  it  was  right  that 
he  should  bap-tize  him. 

So  John  went  with  Je-sus  in-to  the  wa-ter,  and 
he  bap-tized  Jesus  in  the  wa-ter.  And  Je-sus  was 
pray-ing  to  his  Fa-ther  in  heav-en. 

And  as  Je-sus  went  up  out  of  the  wa-ter,  lo, 
there  came  a  great  light  in  the  sky,  that  took  the 
form  of  a  dove,  and  it  came  down  and  seemed  to 
rest  on  him.  And  God's  voice  spoke  out  of  the  sky, 
and  said:  This  is  my  dear  Son,  with  whom  I  am 
well  pleased. 

Then  Je-sus  went  out  in-to  the  waste  lands,  and 
was  there  with  no  one  near  him  for  more  than  a 
month.  In  all  that  time  he  ate  no  food,  but  spent 


260  History    of  the   New    Testament. 

the  hours  in  talks  with  God.  At  last  he  felt  weak 
and  faint,  and  left  the  waste  lands  to  go  in  search  of 
some-thing  to  eat. 

Now  there  is  a  fiend  in  this  world,  as  we  all 
know,  who  has  a  black  heart,  and  can  take  on  all 
sorts  of  shapes.  He  came  to  Eve  in  the  form  of  a 
snake,  and  to  Sam-son  with  a  fair  face.  He  tempts 
those  to  do  wrong  who  have  set  out  to  do  right,  and 
we  have  to  be  on  our  guard  all  the  time,  and  to 
watch  and  pray  that  we  may  be  kept  safe  from  him. 

When  this  fiend  saw  Je-sus  on  his  way  to  give 
new  hearts  to  men,  and  to  make  them  good  and 
pure,  he  thought  he  would  try  and  put  a  stop  to 
such  work.  So  he  went  out  to  tempt  Je-sus,  with 
the  same  smooth  voice  in  which  he  spoke  to  Eve. 

And  he  came  to  him  and  said,  If  thou  be  the 
Son  of  God  change  those  stones  in-to  bread,  so  that 
thou  canst  eat  now  that  thou  hast  need  of  food. 

Je-sus  knew  why  Sa-tan  had  come,  and  he  told 
him  that  men  should  take  more  pains  to  do  God's 
will  than  to  get  bread  to  eat.  Next  Sa-tan  took  Je-sus 
to  Je-ru-sa-lem,  and  up  to  a  high  place  where  the 
house  of  God  was  built.  And  he  said  to  him,  If 
thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  throw  thy-self  down ;  for  it 
is  said,  he  shall  give  his  an-gels  charge  to  keep  thee 
in  all  thy  ways.  They  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their 
hands  lest  thou  dash  a-gainst  a  stone. 


I  III',    TI..MI'T-A-T1ON. 


262  History   of  the   New    Testament 

Je-sus  told  him  that  it  was  not  right  to  go  where 
it  was  not  safe,  just  to  try  if  God  would  keep  us  from 
harm. 

Then  Sa-tan  took  Je-sus  up  on  a  high  mount, 
from  whence  could  be  seen  all  the  large  towns  in  the 
land,  and  all  their  great  wealth.  And  he  said  to 
him,  All  these  will  I  give  thee  for  thine  own  if  thou 
wilt  kneel  down  and  wor-ship  me. 

Je-sus  said  to  him,  Go  from  me,  Sa-tan,  for  it  is 
set  down  in  God's  book,  Thou  shalt  wor-ship  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  him  a-lone  shalt  thou  serve. 

When  Sa-tan  found  that  Je-sus  paid  no  heed  to 
his  words,  he  left  him,  and  an-gels  came  to  wait  on 
the  Son  of  God. 

In  a  short  time  Je-sus  went  back  to  the  Jor-dan 
where  John  was,  and  when  John  saw  him,  he  said, 
Be-hold  the  Lamb  of  God ! 

He  spoke  of  Je-sus  as  the  Lamb  of  God,  for  he 
was  to  be  laid  on  the  cross  for  the  sins  of  men,  as 
the  lamb  was  in  those  days  laid  on  the  al-tar. 

Then  Je-sus  set  out  to  preach  and  to  turn  men 
from  their  sins.  And  he  went  to  Gal-i-lee.  And 
one  day  as  he  walked  by  the  sea.  shore  he  saw  two 
men  cast  their  net  in-to  the  sea.  Their  names  were 
An-drew  and  Pe-ter.  Je-sus  said  to  them,  Come 
with  me.  And  they  left  their  nets  at  once,  that 
they  might  be  near  him  and  learn  of  him. 


Jesus  and  John   the   Baptist. 


263 


The  next  day  he  saw  two  men  whose  names 
were  James  and  John  in  a  boat  with  their  fa-ther. 
Their  nets  had 
broke,  and  they 
were  in  haste  to 
mend  them  so 
that  they  could 
take  in  a  large 
haul  of  fish.  But 
Je-sus  spoke  to 
James  and  John, 
and  they  left  the 
boat  at  once,  and 
went  with  him 
that  he  might 
teach  them. 

The  next  day 
Je-sus  spoke  to 
Phil-ip  and  Na- 
than-i-el,  and 
they  left  their 
homes  and  went 
with  him. 


THE  MAR-RIAGE  IN   CA-NA. 


When  Je-sus 

came  to  the  town  of  Ca-na  he  found  quite  a  crowd 
there,  for  a  wed-ding  was  to  take  place,  and  he  and 
his  mother  had  been  bid  to  the  feast.  There  was 


264  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

food  to  eat  and  wine  to  drink,  but  ere  the  feast  was 
at  an  end  the  wine  was  all  gone.  And  when  Ma-ry 
knew  of  it  she  said  to  Je-sus,  They  have  no  wine. 
And  she  bade  those  who  were  there  to  serve  the 
guests  to  do  just  as  Je-sus  told  them. 

Now  there  were  in  the  house  six  large  stone  jars 
such  as  the  Jews  kept  to  hold  wa-ter.  Je-sus  said 
to  the  men,  Fill  the  jars  with  wa-ter.  And  they 
filled  them  to  the  brim.  And  he  said  to  them,  Take 
some  out  now  and  bear  it  to  the  chief  guest  of  the 
feast.  And  they  did  so ;  and  the  wa-ter  was  changed 
in-to  wine. 

The  chief  guest  did  not  know  what  Je-sus  had 
done  ;  but  when  he  had  drunk  some  of  the  wine  he 
sent  for  the  bride-groom  and  said  to  him,  As  a  rule, 
those  who  give  a  feast  set  out  the  good  wine  first, 
and  when  the  guests  have  had  all  they  care  for  they 
bring  out  that  which  is  worse.  But  thou  hast  kept 
the  good  wine  till  now. 

This  was  the  first  great  sign  Je-sus  gave  of  the 
power  he  had  from  on  high.  And  it  was  proof  to 
those  whose  hearts  were  with  him  that  he  was  the 
true  Son  of  God. 

The  time  of  the  Feast  of  Weeks  was  at  hand, 
and  Je-sus  went  up  to  Je-ru-sa-lem  to  keep  it.  And  in 
one  of  the  courts  were  men  who  had  brought  their 
wares  to  the  house  of  God  to  sell  them  to  the  Jews 


Jesus  and  John  the  Baptist. 


265 


when  they  came  up  to  the  feast.  When  Je-sus  came 
to  the  place  where  these  men  were,  the  sight  did 
not  please  him. 
And  Je-sus 
made  a  scourge, 
or  whip  of  small 
cords, and  drove 
them  all  out, 
with  their  flocks 
and  their  herds. 
And  he  poured 
their  gold  and 
silver  on  the 
ground,  and 
said  to  those 
who  sold  doves, 
Take  them  a- 
way;  make  not 
the  house  of 
God  a  place  to 
buy  and  sell  in. 
And  while 
he  was  at  the 
feast  crowds 
were  drawn  to  him,  and  had  faith  in  him  when  they 
saw  what  won-ders  he  could  do.  Nic-o-de-mus,  one 
of  the  chief  men  of  the  Jews,  came  to  Je-sus  in  the 


DRIV-ING   THE   SELL-ERS   FROM   THE   TEMPLE. 


266  History   of  the   New    Testament. 

night,  and  said  to  him,  We  know  that  God  has  sent 
thee  to  teach  us  what  is  right,  for  no  man  could  do 
these  won-ders  if  God  were  not  with  him. 

Je-sus  told  him  that  he  must  have  a  new  heart 
or  he  could  not  be  a  child  of  God. 

He-rod,  who  slew  the  babes  of  Beth-le-hem,  was 
dead,  but  his  son  He-rod  ruled  in  that  part  of  Gal-i- 
lee,  and  he  was  a  bad  man.  He  took  his  broth-er's 
wife  from  him  and  made  her  his  own  wife.  Her 
name  was  He-ro-di-as.  When  John  the  Bap-tist 
told  He-rod  this  was  not  right,  he  would  have  put 
him  to  death  if  he  had  dared.  But  he  had  heard 
him  preach,  and  knew  that  he  was  a  good  man.  Yet 
to  please  He-ro-di-as  He-rod  had  seized  John,  and 
bound  him,  and  shut  him  up  in  jail. 

While  John  was  in  jail,  He-rod,  on  his  birth-day, 
made  a  great  feast  for  the  lords  and  chief  men  of 
Gal-i-lee.  And  a  young  girl,  whose  name  was  Sa- 
lo-me,  came  and  danced  in  their  midst.  He-rod  was 
so  much  pleased  with  her  that  he  said,  Ask  of  me 
what  thou  wilt,  and  thou  shalt  have  it,  though  it 
were  half  of  my  realm. 

And  Sa-lo-me  went  to  He-ro-di-as — who  was 
her  mo-ther — and  said,  What  shall  'I  ask? 

And  He-ro-di-as  said  to  her,  Ask  the  king  to 
cut  off  the  head  of  John  the  Bap-tist,  and  bring  it 
to  thee  here  in  a  large  dish. 


The    Woman  at  the    Well — -Jesus  by  the  Sect.  267 

Sa-lo-me  came  back  in  haste  to  the  king,  and  said, 
Give  me,  in  a  large  dish,  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist. 

He-rod  was  grieved,  but  as  he  had  sworn  to  give 
her  what  she  asked  for,  and  those  who  sat  near  had 
heard  him,  he  felt  bound  to  keep  his  word.  So  he 
sent  one  of  his  train-band,  who  cut  off  John's  head 
in  the  jail,  and  brought  it  in  a  large  dish  to  Sa- 
lo-me,  and  she  gave  it  to  her  mo-ther. 

When  the  friends  of  John  heard  of  it  they  came 
up  and  took  his  dead  form  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb,  and 
went  and  told  Je-sus. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE    WOMAN    AT    THE     WELL JESUS    BY    THE     SEA. 

ONE  day  Je-sus  and  his  friends  came  to  the  town 
of  Sy-char,  near  which  was  a  well  to  which  all  the 
folks  came  to  draw  wa-ter.  It  was  known  as  Ja- 
cob's Well.  The  sun  was  hot,  and  Je-sus,  tired  with 
his  long  walk,  sat  down  by  this  well  to  rest,  while 
his  friends  went  to  the  town  to  buy  food. 

A  wo-man  came  from  the  town  to  draw  wa-ter. 
She  led  a  life  of  sin,  and  had  no  love  for  God  in  her 
heart.  And  Je-sus  knew  this,  for  he  sees  all  our 


268 


History  of  the  New    Testament. 


hearts,  and  knows  all  our  thoughts,  and  all  that  we 

have  done. 

.  And  he  spoke  to  the  wo-man,  and  told  her  of  the 

things  she  had 
done  that  did 
not  please  God. 
And  she  thought 
he  was  a  seer, 
to  whom  God 
told  things  that 
were  not  known 
to  most  folks. 
And  she  said 
to  Je-sus,  I  know 
that  Christ  is  to 
come  in-to  the 
world,  and  when 
he  comes  he 
will  tell  us  all 
things.  Je-sus 
said  to  her,  I 
that  speak  to 
thee  am  he. 
Then  the  woman  left  her  jar,  and  made  haste 

back  to  the  town,  and  said  to  her  friends  there,  Come 

and  see  a  man  who  told  me  all  the  things  that  ever 

I  did.      Is  not  this  the  Christ? 


THE  W0-«AN   AT  IRE  WEtL. 


The    Woman  at  the    Well — -Jesus  by  the  Sea.  ^q 

And  they  went  out  and  saw  Je-sus,  and  bade  him 
come  in-to  the  town.  And  he  went  with  them,  and 
was  there  for  three  days.  And  they  gave  ear  to  the 
things  he  taught  them.  And  they  said  to  the  wo- 
man, Now  we  have  faith  in  him,  not  be-cause  of 
the  things  thou  didst  tell  us,  but  be-cause  we  have 
heard  him  our-selves,  and  know  that  he  is  the 
Christ  whom  God  has  sent  down  to  us. 

From  there  he  went  once  more  to  the  town  of 
Ca-na.  And  a  rich  man  came  from  the  town  where 
he  dwelt  to  ask  Je-sus  to  come  and  heal  his  son,  who 
was  sick.  And  the  rich  man  said  to  him,  Come 
as  quick  as  you  can,  lest  my  child  should  die. 

Je-sus  said  to  him,  Go  thy  way,  thy  son  is  made 
well. 

The  rich  man  knew  that    Te-sus  would  not  sav 

j  j 

what  was  not  true,  and  with  a  glad  heart  went  back 
to  his  home.  And  as  he  drew  near  the  house  his 
slaves  ran  out  to  meet  him,  and  said  to  him,  Thy 
son  is  well. 

The  rich  man  bade  them  tell  him  what  time  the 
change  took  place,  and  they  told  the  hour  that  the 
fe-ver  left  the  lad.  And  it  was  the  same  hour  that 
Je-sus  had  said  to  the  rich  man,  Thy  son  is  well. 
And  he  and  all  those  in  his  house  felt  in  their  hearts 
tnat  Je-sus  was  the  son  of  God. 

The    Jews  did    not   yet   know  how  to  print,  and 


270 


History  of  the  New    Testament. 


they  had  no  books  such  as  we  have.  They  wrote 
with  pen  and  ink  on  rolls  of  parch-ment,  made  from 
the  skin  of  sheep  and  goats. 

These  rolls  were  kept  in 
the  house  of  God,  in  a  box  or 
chest  called  an  ark,  and  were 
brought  out  and  read  to  those 
who  came  to  the  church  on  the 
Lord's  day.  The  chief  rolls, 
all  the  books  of  the  Old  Tes- 
ta-ment,  were  kept  at  Je-ru-sa- 
lem,  but  as  all  the  Jews  could 
not  get  there  more  than  once  a 
year,  they  had  made  rolls  for 
their  own  use  in  each  house 
of  God. 

Je-sus  came  to  Naz-a-reth 
where  he  had  been  brought 
up,  and  went  in-to  the  church 
on  the  Lord's  day  and  stood 
up  to  read.  And  he  read 
from  one  of  the  old  books 
where  it  was  fore-told  that  one 


CYL-IN-DER  HOLD-ING  THE  PENT-A-TEUCH 


tO 


news  to  the  poor,  to  cheer  the  sad,  to  give  sight  to 
the  blind,  and  to  heal  the  sick.  Then  he  closed  the 
roll  and  sat  down.  And  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  church 


The    Woman  at  the   Well— Jesus  by  the  Sea.  271 

were  on  him.  He  said  to  them  that  all  these  words 
had  come  true,  and  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  of 
whom  the  proph-et  wrote.  And  they  said,  Is  not 
this  Jo-seph's  son?  How  then  can  he  claim  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  ?  And  they  were  wroth  with  him, 


TWO   FA-GES  of  THE    SAM-AR-I-TAN    PENT-A-TEUCH. 

and  led  him  out  to  a  steep  hill  on  which  their  town 
was  built,  that  they  might  cast  him  down  and  kill 
him.  But  Je-sus  got  a- way  from  them,  and  they 
could  do  him  no  harm. 

He  went  on  to  Ca-per-na-um,  and  great  crowds 


272  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

came  there  to  hear  him,  and  pushed  so  that  there 
was  scarce  room  for  him  to  stand  on  the  sea-shore. 
And  he  saw  two  boats  close  at  hand,  out  of  which 
the  men  had  gone  to  mend  their  nets.  And  he 
went  in  one  of  the  boats,  which  was  Pe-ter' s  and  told 
him  to  push  it  out  from  the  land.  And  he  sat 
down,  and  taught  the  crowd  out  of  the  boat. 

When  he  left  off,  he  said  to  Pe-ter  and  An-drew, 
Sail  out  where  the  sea  is  deep,  and  let  down  your 
nets  to  catch  fish. 

Pe-ter  said,  Mas-ter,  we  have  been  hard  at  work 
all  the  night,  and  not  a  fish  have  we  caught;  but, 
since  thou  dost  bid  me,  I  will  let  down  the  net. 

When  they  had  done  this,  they  caught  such  a  large 
haul  of  fish  that  the  net  broke.  Then  they  called  to 
their  friends  in  the  boat  by  the  shore,  and  bade  them 
come  to  their  aid.  And  they  came,  and  there  was 
more  fish  than  the  two  boats  could  hold. 

When  Pe-ter  saw  this  he  fell  down  at  the  feet  of 
Je-sus,  and  said,  I  fear  thee,  for  I  am  full  of  sin,  O 
Lord.  And  those  with  him  were  spell-bound  at  sight 
of  the  fish  they  had  caught. 

Je-sus  did  this  great  won-der  so  that  these  men 
might  see  it  and  know  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God; 
for  they  were  to  aid  him  in  his  work,  and  to  go 
with  him  from  place  to  place. 

Je-sus  said  to   Pe-ter,  Fear  not;  from  this  time, 


274  History  of  tke  New    Testament. 

forth  thou  shalt  catch  men  and  not  fish.  He  meant 
by  this  that  Pe-ter  was  to  preach,  and  to  save  men 
from  sin,  and  from  the  nets  that  Sa-tan  spreads.  And 
he  said  to  them  all,  Come  with  me.  And  they  left 
their  boats  and  their  nets,  and  all  that  they  had,  and 
were  with  Je-sus  till  the  end  of  his  life  on  earth. 

On  the  Day  of  Rest,  Je-sus  went  in-to  the  church 
and  taught  the  folks  there.  And  in  their  midst  was 
a  man  who  was  not  in  his  right  mind,  and  it  was  as 
if  he  were  torn  by  fiends,  and  he  cried  out  to  Je-sus, 
Let  us  a-lone.  What  have  we  to  do  with  thee,  thou 
Je-sus  of  Naz-a-reth?  Art  thou  come  to  kill  us?  I 
know  thee,  that  thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  Je-sus 
said  to  the  fiends  that  were  in  the  man,  Be  still,  and 
come  out  of  him.  Then  the  fiends  threw  the  man 
down,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  and  came  out  of 
him.  And  all  those  in  the  church  were  struck  with 
awe,  and  they  said  a-mong  them-selves,  What  does 
this  mean?  for  he  speaks  to  the  fiends  so  that  they 
are  forced  to  do  his  will ! 

When  they  came  out  of  the  church  Je-sus  went 
to  the  house  where  Pe-ter  and  An-drew  dwelt.  And 
James  and  John  were  there.  And  Pe-ter' s  wife's 
mo-ther  was  sick  of  a  fe-ver,  and  they  told  Je-sus  of 
it  and  begged  that  he  would  heal  her. 

Je-sus  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  bade  the  fe-ver 
come  out  of  her.  '  And  she  was  made  well  at  once, 
and  rose  from  her  bed,  and  took  charge  of  her  house. 


The    Woman  at  the    Well — -Jesus  by  the  Sea. 


275 


set, 
was, 


At  the  close  of  the  day,  when  the  sun  had 
great  crowds  came  to  the  house  where  Je-sus 
and  brought 
those  who  were 
sick,  and  those 
who  were  not 
in  their  right 
minds,  that  he 
might  cure 
them.  And 
he  made  the 
sick  well,  and 
drove  out  the 
fiends,  and 
would  not  let 
them  speak. 

The  next 
day  Je-sus  rose 
ere  it  was  light 
and  went  out 
to  a  lone  place 
to  pray  to  God. 

For  though 
he  was  the 
Son  of  God,  he  had  come  to  the  earth  in  the  form 
of  a  man,  and  had  all  the  wants  that  man  has.  He 
had  need  of  food  and  drink,  and  felt  pain  and  grief 


PE-TER'S  WIFE'S  MO-THER. 


276  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

just  as  we  do.  He  had  need  of  man's  help  in  his 
work ;  and  had  need  of  God's  help  all  the  time. 
And  he  knelt  to  God,  just  as  he  wants  us  to  do, 
and  asked  God  to  be  near  him  and  to  give  him 
more  strength,  and  to  help  him  to  do  his  will. 

When  Je-sus  had  gone,  crowds  came  up  to  the 
house  to  seek  him.  And  Pe-ter,  and  the  three  that 
were  with  him,  went  out  to  look  for  Je-sus.  And 
when  they  found  him  they  told  him  of  the  great 
crowd  that  sought  him. 

Je-sus  said,  Let  us  go  to  the  next  towns,  that  I 
may  tell  the  good  news  there ;  for  I  was  not  sent  to 
stay  in  one  place. 

And  he  taught  all  through  Gal-i-lee,  and  his 
fame  spread,  and  great  crowds  went  to  hear  him. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

JESUS    HEALS    THE    SICK,    AND    DOES    GOOD    WORKS    ON 

THE    DAY    OF    REST. 

A  MAN  came  to  Je-sus  and  knelt  down  at  his  feet 
and  said,  Lord,  if  thou  wilt  thou  canst  make  me 
clean.  This  man  was  a  lep-er.  He  had  white  sores 
on  his  skin,  and  had  to  live  by  him-self  or  with  those 
as  bad  off  as  him-self,  and  there  was  no  cure  for  him 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick, 


277 


but  death.  It  was  not  safe  to  breathe  the  air  near  a 
lep-er,  and  so  he  was  sent  at  once  out  of  the  town,  as 
soon  as  his  case  was  known. 

This  lep-er  must 
have  heard  of  Je-sus 
and  the  great  works 
he  had  done,  and 
the  hope  that  had 
died  out  must  have 
sprung  up  in  his 
heart  once  more.  If 
he  could  heal  the 
sick,  and  make  the 
lame  walk,  why  could 
he  not  cure  him,  so 
that  he  would  be  fit 
to  live  with  those  he 
loved  ?  At  least  he 
could  ask ;  and  oh ! 
how  great  must  have 
been  his  faith  when 
he  fell  down  at  the 
feet  of  Je-sus  and 
cried  out,  Lord,  if  thou  wilt  thou  canst  make  me  clean. 

Je-sus  put  out  his  hand  and  touched  the  man, 
and  said,  I  will :  be  thou  clean. 

And  at  once  the  sores  left  the  man  and  his  skin 


CUR-ING  THE  MAN  LAME  WITH  PAL-ST. 


278  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

was  white  and  smooth.  Then  Je-sus  sent  him  off, 
and  bade  him  tell  no  man  who  had  made  him  well, 
but  to  go  to  the  priest  and  do  as  Mo-ses  bid  all  those 
do  who  had  been  lep-ers  and  were  cured. 

But  the  man  was  so  full  of  joy  that  he  could  not 
keep  it  to  him-self,  and  he  went  out  and  told  what 
Jesus  had  done  for  him. 

Now  there  were  some  Jews  who  were  known  as 
Scribes  and  Phar-i-sees.  They  made  out  that  no 
one  else  was  quite  as  good  as  they  were.  They  knew 
all  the  laws  of  Mo-ses  by  heart,  and  they  were  strict 
to  see  that  no  Jews  broke  those  laws.  A  Scribe  is 
one  who  writes. 

These  Scribes  and  Phar-i-sees  were  thought  to  be 
wise  and  good  men,  for  they  would  fast  and  pray  for 
a  long  while  at  a  time,  and  look  as  though  they 
thought  them-selves  too  pure  for  earth. 

But  their  hearts  were  bad  and  full  of  sin,  and 
wnen  Je-sus  told  them  they  must  give  up  their  sins 
and  lead  the  right  kind  of  lives,  they  were  wroth  with 
him,  and  tried  to  make  all  the  rest  of  the  Jews  hate 
him  as  much  as  they  did. 

Je-sus  went  down  to  Ca-per-na-um,  and  when  it 
was  known  that  he  was  in  the  town  great  crowds 
came  to  the  house  where  he  was  to  hear  him  preach. 

Now  there  was  a  man  who  had  been  in  bed  for  a 
long  time,  and  could  not  move  hand  or  foot.  He 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick.  279 

had  heard  of  the  fame  of  Je-sus,  and  it  was  the  wish 
of  his  heart  to  get  near  him  that  he  might  heal  him 
with  a  touch.  But  Je-sus  was  a  long  way  off,  and  the 
poor  sick  man  could  not  walk  one  step.  But  he  had 
kind  friends,  and  they  thought  of  a  plan  by  which  he 
could  be  brought  near  to  Je-sus,  that  he  might  at 
least  hear  him  preach. 

So  they  took  him  on  his  bed  and  bore  him  to  the 
town  ;  but  when  they  came  to  the  house  where  Je-sus 
was,  the  crowd  was  so  great  that  there  was  no  chance 
to  get  near  him.  What  were  they  to  do  ? 

Now  the  house  was  low  and  had  a  flat  roof,  with 
a  wall  round  it,  so  that  those  who  dwelt  there  could 
walk  or  sleep  on  it  and  have  no  fear  that  they  would 
fall  off.  All  the  rooms  down  stairs  led  out  in-to  a 
court,  which  had  a  roof  that  could  be  slid  off  when  it 
did  not  rain,  or  there  was  need  of  fresh  air. 

So  the  friends  of  the  lame  man  drew  the  bed  up  on 
the  house-top  with  him  in  it,  and  brought  him  to  the 
space  in  the  roof,  through  which  they  could  see  Je-sus 
and  the  crowds  round  him.  And  they  let  the  man 
down  on  his  bed  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  which 
had  to  make  way  for  him. 

When  Je-sus  saw  what  great  faith  they  had,  he 
spoke  to  the  sick  man,  and  said,  Thy  sins  are  for- 
giv-en  thee.  Some  of  the  Scribes  and  Phar-i-sees 
who  sat  near  said,  but  not  out  loud,  Who  is  this  that 


280  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

dares  speak  in  this  way  ?  None  but  God  can  for- 
give sins. 

Je-sus  knew  their  thoughts,  and  he  said  to  them, 
Why  think  ye  these  things  ?  Which  could  be  said 
with  the  most  ease,  Thy  sins  be  for-giv-en  thee,  or 
Rise  up  and  walk  ? 

But  to  show  you  that  I  have  pow-er  to  for-give 
sins,  I  will  make  him  well. 

So  he  said  to  the  sick  man,  Rise,  take  up  thy 
bed,  and  go  to  thy  house. 

And  the  man  rose  and  stood  on  his  feet,  and  took 
up  the  bed  on  which  he  had  lain  and  went  out  and 
gave  praise  and  thanks  to  God. 

And  those  who  saw  him  were  in  a  maze  and  said, 
We  have  seen  strange  things  to-day. 

Now  the  Jews,  as  you  know,  were  slaves  of  the 
Ce-sar  of  Rome,  and  to  keep  their  peace  with  him  they 
had  to  pay  a  tax.  And  the  men  to  whom  they  paid 
the  tax  were  known  as  pub-li-cans.  Some  of  them 
were  harsh  and  stern,  and  the  Jews  could  not  but 
hate  them.  But  all  were  not  so.  And  as  Je-sus 
went  by  he  saw  one  of  these  pub-li-cans  with  his  gold 
and  sil-ver  close  at  hand.  His  name  was  Matth-ew. 
Je-sus  spoke  to  him,  and  said,  Come  with  me. 

And  Matth-ew  left  all,  and  went  with  Je-sus,  and 
from  that  time  did  all  that  he  could  to  spread  the 
good  news,  and  to  serve  the  Lord  Christ. 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick. 


281 


Af-ter  this  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  and  Je- 
sus went  up  to  Je-ru-sa-lem.  Now  there  was  at  Je- 
ru-sa-lem  a  pool,  which  was  known  as  the  Pool  of  Be- 
thes-da.  And  there 
were  five  courts,  or 
door-ways,  that  led 
down  to  the  pool. 
And  in  these  courts 
lay  a  great  crowd  of 
folks  who  were  sick, 
or  blind,  or  lame. 

For  this  was  the 
timeof  the  year  when 
an  an-gel  came  to 
stir  the  pool.  And 
it  was  thought  that 
the  one  who  went  in- 
to the  pool  the  first, 
when  the  an-gel  had 
made  it  fresh  and 
sweet,  would  be 
cured  of  all  the  ails 
that  he  might  have. 

And  a  man  was  there  who  had  been  sick  for 
most  two  score  years.  Je-sus  saw  him,  and  knew 
that  he  had  been  sick  for  a  long  time,  and  it  made 
him  sad  to  think  of  it.  So  he  said  to  the  man, 
Wilt  thou  be  made  well  ? 


THE   POOL   OF   BE-THES-DA. 


282  History  of  the  New    Testament, 

The  man  said,  I  have  no  one  to  help  me  in-to  the 
pool,  for  when  I  try  to  get  down  to  it,  some  one  steps 
in  a-head  of  me  and  I  am  too  late. 

Je-sus  said  to  him,  Rise,  take  up  thy  bed  and 
walk. 

And  at  once  the  man  was  made  well,  and  took 
up  his  bed,  and  walked. 

Now  it  was  the  Day  of  Rest.  And  the  Jews, 
who  were  quick  to  find  fault  with  those  who  broke 
the  laws,  said  to  the  man  when  he  came  their  way, 
It  is  not  right  for  thee  to  move  thy  bed  on  this  day. 

He  said  to  them,  he  that  made  me  well  told  me 
to  take  up  my  bed  and  walk. 

They  said  to  him,  Who  was  it  told  thee  that  ? 

And  the  man  did  not  know,  and  could  not  point 
Je-sus  out  to  them,  the  crowd  was  so  great. 

But  ere  the  feast  was  at  an  end  Je-sus  met  the 
man  He  had  cured  and  said  to  him,  Now  thou  art 
well,  sin  no  more  lest  a  worse  thing  come  to  thee. 

Then  the  man  went  out  and  told  the  Jews  that 
it  was  Je-sus  who  had  cured  him  on  the  Day  of  Rest. 
And  for  this  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  Je-sus.  But  he 
told  them  that  the  works  he  did  were  proof  that 
God  had  sent  him,  and  that  he  was  the  one  of 
whom  the  seers  had  told  in  the  days  that  were  past, 
and  of  whom  Mo-ses  wrote. 

He  said  that  the  time  was  near  at  hand  when  the 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick. 


283 


dead  should  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 

those  who  were  in  their  graves  should  come  forth. 

Then  he  would  judge  them.     Those  who  had  done 

good  would   be 

blest,   for    God 

would       give 

them    a    home 

with  him  in  the 

sky;  but    those 

who   had    done 

ill,  and  died  in 

their  sins,  would 

not    meet     the 

smile    of    God, 

nor  have  a  place 

near  his  throne. 

Je-sussaidif 
the  love  of  God 
was  in  their 
hearts  they 
would  trust 
him  whom  God 
had  sent,  and 
feel  that  he 
had  come  to  do  them  good,  and  to  save  their  souls 
from  death. 

Je-sus    and    his    five    friends,   An-drew,    Pe-ter, 


IN   THE   CORN-FIELDS. 


284 


History  of  the  New    Testament. 


James,  John,  and  Matth-ew,  went  out  on  the  next 
Day  of  Rest,  and  their  walk  led  them  through  a  field 
of  corn.  And  as  the  men  had  need  of  food,  Je-sus 

told  them  to  pluck 
and  eat  the  ears  of 
corn.  And  they 
did  so. 

In  the  East  they 
gave  the  name  of 
corn  to  all  kinds  of 
grain. 

When  the  Phar- 
i-sees  saw  it  they 
found  fault,  and  Je- 
sus told  them  that 
he  was  the  best 
judge  of  what  was 
right  to  do  on  that 
day;  for  he  was 
Lord  of  the  Day  of 
Rest. 

In  the  course  of 
a  few  weeks  he  went 
in-to  a  church  and 

taught  on  the  Lord's  day.  And  a  man  was  there 
whose  hand  was  so  drawn  up  that  he  could  not  stretch 
it  out  or  do  aught  with  it.  And  the  Phar-i-sees 


THE   WITH-ER-ED    HAND. 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick. 


285 


kept  a  close  watch  on  Je-sus  to  see  if  he  would  heal 
the  man  on  that  day,  so  that  they  might  find  fault 
with  them. 

Je-sus  knew  their  thoughts,  and  he  said  to  the 
man  with  the  lame  hand,  Rise  up,  and  stand  where 
all  can  see  you.  And  the  man  rose,  and  stood  forth. 


JER-U-SA-LEM. 


Je-sus  said  to  them,  I  will  ask  you  one  thing: 
Is  it  right  to  do  good  or  to  do  ill  on  the  Day  of  Rest  ? 
to  take  life  or  to  save  it  ?  And  he  stood  and  looked 
at  all  those  that  were  in  the  place.  Then  he  said  to 
the  man,  Stretch  out  thy  hand.  And  he  did  so,  and 
it  was  well  and  strong. 


286  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

This  made  the  Phar-i-sees  hate  Je-sus,  so  that 
they  went  out  of  the  church  and  sought  for  some  way 
to  put  him  to  death.  When  he  knew  of  it  he  left 
the  place,  and  came  down  to  the  sea  of  Gal-i-lee. 
And  crowds  came  to  him  from  the  land  of  Ju-dah 
and  from  large  towns  that  were  far  off,  to  see  the 
great  works  that  he  did.  And  the  sick  crept  near 
so  that  they  could  touch  him,  and  he  made  them 
all  well. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

JE-SUS  left  the  crowd,  and  went  to  a  lone  place  to 
pray  to  God.  And  he  spent  the  night  there.  The 
next  morn  he  chose  twelve  men,  that  he  might  send 
them  out  to  preach,  and  to  heal  those  that  were  sick, 
and  to  cast  out  dev-ils.  Their  names  were  Pe-ter, 
An-drew,  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zeb-e-dee, 
Phil-ip,  Bar-thol-o-mew,  Thom-as  and  Matth-ew, 
James  and  Leb-be-us,  Simon  and  Judas  Is-ca-ri-ot. 

And  the  crowd  was  so  great  that  Je-sus  went  up 
on  a  hill,  and  the  twelve  went  with  him  and  he 
taught  them  there.  He  told  them  that  those  who 
were  in  a  high  state  of  joy,  with  not  a  care  to  vex 


THE   SER-MON    OX   THE   MOUNT 


288  History  oj  the  New    Testament. 

them,  were  called  blest.     And  he  said,  not  in  these 
words,  but  in  words  that  meant  the  same : 

Blest  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  God  is  with  them. 

By  poor  in  spirit  he  meant  those  who  did  not 
think  too  much  of  them-selves,  who  were  not  vain 
nor  proud,  but  rich  in  love  to  God.  And  he  would 
be  with  them,  and  bless  them  all  their  lives. 

Blest  are  those  that  mourn,  for  their  tears  shall 
be  dried. 

To  mourn  is  to  weep,  and  to  grieve.  Je-sus 
meant  that  those  who  wept  for  their  sins  should  shed 
no  more  tears,  for  Christ  had  come  to  save  them,  and 
the  good  news  should  make  them  glad. 

Blest  are  the  meek,  for  the  whole  earth  shall  be 
theirs. 

•  Je-sus  meant  by  this  that  those  who  were  fond  of 
peace,  and  did  not  love  strife,  might  dwell  where 
they  chose,  and  would  be  blest  in  this  world  and  the 
world  to  come. 

Blest  are  those  who  hun-ger  and  thirst  for  that 
which  is  good,  for  they  shall  be  filled. 

This  meant  that  those  who  sought  to  do  right 
and  to  grow  in  grace  had  but  to  pray  to  God,  and  he 
would  give  them  all  the  strength  they  might  need 
from  day  to  day. 

Blest  are  those  who  are  kind  and  good,  for  the 
Lord  will  be  kind  to  them  in  their  hour  of  need. 


The  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  289 

Blest  are  those  who  are  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God 

Those  who  are  pure  in  heart  will  be  fond  of  good 
works,  and  will  lead  good  lives,  and  God  will  not 
turn  his  face  from  them. 

Blest  are  the  peace-ma-kers-- those  who  try  to 
keep  the  peace  and  to  put  an  end  to  strife — for  they 
shall  be  call-ed  the  chil-dren  of  God. 

Blest  are  those  who  are  ill-used  for  my  sake,  for 
the  more  the  world  hates  them  the  more  will  God 
love  them. 

Je-sus  told  them  that  when  men  said  hard  things 
of  them  for  his  sake,  and  call-ed  them  vile,  and 
were  harsh  with  them  and  full  of  spite,  they  were 
not  to  grieve  but  to  be  glad.  For  so  did  bad  men 
treat  the  seers  of  old  who  told  them  of  their  faults 
and  their  sins  and  tried  to  lead  them  to  Christ. 

Salt  is  good,  and  gives  a  taste  to  our  food. 

Je-sus  told  them  they  were  to  salt  the  earth. 
This  meant  that  they  were  to  tell  the  good  news  in 
such  a  way  that  men  should  want  it  and  need  it  just 
as  they  did  salt. 

He  told  them,  too,  that  they  must  let  their  light 
shine;  he  meant  that  they  should  let  it  be  seen  and 
known  that  they  loved  God,  and  tried  to  do  his 
wilL  They  were  not  to  hide  it  from  men,  but  to  do 
such  good  works,  in  Christ's  name,  that  those  who 


2, 90  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

did  not  love  or  care  for  him  might  be  drawn  to  Je- 
sus— the  light  of  the  world. 

Je-sus  said  that  if  we  do  as  we  ought  to  do  our- 
selves, and  teach  men  to  keep  all  God's  laws,  we 
shall  be  called  great  in  the  place  where  God  dwells. 
But  if,  like  the  Scribes  and  Phar-i-sees,  we  teach 
what  is  right  and  do  what  is  wrong,  we  shall  not  see 
God's  face,  or  live  with  him  on  high. 

He  said,  you  have  been  taught  not  to  kill;  and 
that  he  who  puts  one  to  death  will  be  brought  to  the 
judge,  and  made  to  suf-fer  for  the  crime.  But  I  say 
to  you  that  it  is  a  sin  to  hate  those  who  have  done 
you  no  harm,  and  God  will  pun-ish  you  for  it. 

Then  he  said  that  when  they  went  to  church  to 
wor-ship  God  they  must  try  and  think  if  they  had 
done  wrong,  had  been  harsh,  or  had  said  what  was 
not  true.  And  they  were  to  go  at  once  and  do  right 
to  those  whom  they  hurt  in  this  way,  for  God  did  not 
care  to  have  them  bow  down  to  him  if  their  hearts 
were  full  of  sins  they  were  not  sor-ry  for. 

We  must  be  good  and  pure,  Je-sus  says,  in  all 
that  we  say  and  do:  we  must  do  no  harm  to  those 
who  harm  us,  but  must  be  kind  and  good  to  them, 
and  pray  for  them,  and  love  them. 

Bless  those  that  curse  you,  and  do  good  to  those 
that  hate  you.  This  is  a  hard  task,  and  none  but 
those  who  have  the  love  of  Christ  in  their  hearts  can 


The  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  291 

do  it.      But  if  we  pray  for  strength,  the  strength  is 
sure  to  come,  and  love  takes  the  place  of  hate. 

Some  folks  when  they  do  good  deeds  like  to 
make  a  great  show  and  noise,  that  they  may  be  seen 
of  men,  and  have  much  praise  from  them. 

Je-sus  told  the  Twelve  that  they  were  to  do  right, 
not  to  please  men  but  to  please  God.  When  they 
gave  to  the  poor  they  were  not  to  tell  of  it;  and 
when  they  prayed  they  were  not  to  choose  a  place 
where  they  could  be  seen  of  men — just  to  show  how 
good  they  were — but  were  to  go  to  their  room  and 
shut  the  door,  that  no  one  but  God  could  hear  them. 
Then  God  would  give  them  what  they  asked  for. 

Je-sus  taught  them  how  to  pray,  and  what  words 
to  use ;  and  these  words  each  child  ought  to  learn  by 
heart  and  use  at  least  twice  a  day: 

"Our  Fa-ther  which  art  in  heav-en,  Hal-low-ed 
be  thy  name.  Thy  King-dom  come.  Thy  will  be 
done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heav-en.  Give  us  this  day 
our  daily  bread.  And  for-give  us  our  debts,  as  we 
for-give  our  debt-ors.  And  lead  us  not  in-to  tempt 
a-tion,  but  del-iv-er  us  from  e-vil :  For  thine  is  the 
King-dom,  and  the  pow-er,  and  the  glo-ry,  for  ever. 
'A-men. " 

When  they  should  fast  they  were  not  to  look  sad 
as  those  did  whose  wish  it  was  that  men  should  see 
them  fast,  but  they  were  to  hold  up  their  heads  and 


292  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

wear  a  look  of  cheer  that  no  one  but  God  should 
know  it.  And  God  would  bless  them  for  it. 

Je-sus  said  we  must  not  want  to  be  rich  or  to  lay 
up  wealth  in  this  world,  for  when  we  die  we  can  not 
take  it  with  us.  But  we  should  give  our  hearts 
to  thoughts  of  God,  and  try  to  live  so  that  we  can 
share  his  home,  where  we  shall  have  more  things  to 
please  us  than  all  the  gold  in  the  world  can  buy. 

Je-sus  said  that  no  man  could  serve  God  and 
serve  Sa-tan  too.  We  serve  God  when  we  do  right; 
and  we  serve  Sa-tan  when  we  do  wrong. 

So  we  can-not  do  the  will  of  both,  and  must 
choose  which  one  we  will  serve. 

He  told  the  Twelve  not  to  judge  folks;  he  meant 
that  they  must  take  care  how  they  found  fault,  and 
blamed  them.  For  they  may  not  have  done  wrong, 
or  if  they  did  they  may  have  meant  no  harm.  We 
can-not  see  men's  hearts,  or  know  how  they  felt  at 
the  time  they  did  the  deed.  But  God  knows  all,  and 
may  not  blame  them  as  much  as  we  do.  Je-sus  said 
that  we  should  strive  to  do  right  our-selves,  and  then 
we  should  see  with  clear  eyes  who  did  wrong,  and 
have  a  right  to  tell  them  of  their  faults. 

He  said,  that  what  we  want  men  to  do  to  us  we 
must  do  to  them.  If  we  want  them  to  be  kind  and 
good  and  to  treat  us  well,  we  must  do  the  same  by 
them. 


The  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 


293 


He  said,  Strive  to  go  in  at  the  strait,  or  nar-row 
gate;  for  wide  is  the  gate  and  broad  is  the  way  that 
leads  to  death. 
He  meant  that 
the  good  and 
the  bad  ways  are 
like  two  gates 
in  our  path,  for 
us  to  choose 
which  one  we 
will  go  through. 

The  good 
way  is  small  and 
hard  to  fi  n  d , 
and  we  have 
to  search  for  it 
with  great  care. 
But  the  path  is 
one  that  leads 
to  life  and  joy. 

The  bad 
way  is  like  a 
broad  gate  that 
stands  o-pen 
and  in  plain  sight.  This  wide  gate  leads  down  to 
hell,  and  crowds  and  crowds  go  that  way,  while  but 
few  are  found  in  the  good  way  that  leads  to  bliss. 


THE   UN-FRUIT-FUL   TREE. 


294  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

Je-sus  said  that  at  the  last  day  some  would  call 
him  Lord,  Lord,  and  say  they  had  served  him  and 
taught  as  he  did.  But  he  would  say  that  he  did  not 
know  them,  for  they  had  bad  hearts,  and  had  led 
lives  of  sin,  and  were  not  fit  to  dwell  with  the  good 
and  pure  in  the  home  on  high,  where  all  is  love. 

He  said  that  men  were  like  trees.  Good  trees 
brought  forth  good  fruit;  but  a  bad  tree  could  not 
bring  forth  good  fruit.  And  men  were  to  be  known 
by  their  works,  just  as  a  tree  was  known  by  its  fruits. 

Then  he  spoke  of  two  men,  each  of  whom  built 
a  house.  One  chose  to  build  on  a  rock.  And  the 
rain  fell,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew 
and  beat  on  that  house,  but  it  stood  firm  and  the 
storm  did  it  no  harm. 

But  one  of  the  men  built  his  house  on  the  sand. 
And  the  rain  fell,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the 
winds  blew  and  beat  on  that  house,  and  it  fell  with  a 
great  crash,  and  was  swept  out  of  sight. 

Je-sus  said  that  those  who  heard  his  words  and 
did  as  he  told  them  were  like  the  wise  man  who 
built  his  house  on  a  rock.  Christ  is  our  Rock.  He 
stands  firm.  No  storms  can  move  him.  If  we 
cling  to  him  he  will  save  us. 

Je-sus  said  that  those  who  heard  his  words  and 
did  not  do  as  he  taught  them,  were  like  the  man  who 
built  his  house  on  the  sand.  When  the  storm  came 


Good  Words  and  Good   Works.  29^ 

on  the  last  day,  when  God  would  judge  the  world, 
they  would  be  swept  out  of  sight.  And  oh  !  what  a 
sad,  sad  day  that  will  be  for  all  those  who  have  led 
bad  lives,  and  done  not  the  least  thing  to  please  God, 
who  took  care  of  them  and  gave  them  all  they  had. 

We  must  strive  to  be  good  all  the  time,  and  to 
love  Je-sus,  so  that  he  will  be  near  us,  and  will  take 
us  home  to  live  with  him  when  we  die. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

GOOD     WORDS     AND     GOOD     WORKS. 

THERE  was  at  Ca-per-na-um  a  chief  who  had 
charge  of  five  score  Ro-man  troops.  And  one  of  his 
men,  who  was  dear  to  him,  was  so  sick  that  he  was 
like  to  die.  When  the  chief  heard  that  Je-sus  was 
there  he  sent  some  of  his  friends  down  to  ask  him  to 
make  the  sick  man  well.  Those  who  brought  the 
word  to  Je-sus  were  Jews,  and  they  spoke  a  good 
word  for  the  chief,  who  had  been  kind  to  them. 

Then  Je-sus  went  with  them.  But  as  they  drew 
near  the  chief's  house  he  sent  some  more  friends  out 
to  tell  Je-sus  that  he  had  not  gone  down  to  him  him- 
self, for  he  was  not  good  e-nough.  And  now  he  sent 
word  that  he  was  not  good  e-nough  for  Je-sus  to 


296 


History  of  the  New    Testament. 


come  in-to  his  house.      But  if  Je-sus  would  speak  the 

word,  he  was  sure  that  the  sick  man  would  get  well. 

For  I  stand  at  the  head  of  my  troops,  said  the 

chief,  and  say  to  this 
one,  Go,  and  he  goes; 
and  to  that  one,  Come, 
and  he  comes;  and  to 
a  third,  Do  this,  and  he 
does  it. 

And  he  knew  that 
if  he  could  do  this  Je- 
sus could  do  more,  and 
bid  all  the  ills  leave  the 
sick  man  at  the  sound 
of  his  voice. 

When  Je-sus  heard 
these  words  he  was  a- 
mazed,  and  said  to 
those  who  were  with 
him,  I  have  found  no 
one  who  has  such  faith 
in  me  as  this  Ro-man. 
And  I  tell  you  that  at 
the  last  day  those  who  have  had  faith  in  me  shall 
come  from  all  lands,  and  have  a  place  near  God's 
throne;  while  the  Jews,  who  will  not  put  their  trust 
in  me,  will  be  shut  out. 


CHRIST   AND    THE   CEN-TU-RION. 


Good  Words  and  Good  Works. 


297 


And  when  the  friends  of  the  chief  went  back 
found  the  sick  man  made  well. 

The  next  day 
Je-sus  went 
the     town 


to 
of 

Nain.  And  a 
great  crowd  went 
with  him.  And 
as  they  came  near 
the  gate  of  the 
town  they  saw 
a  dead  man 
brought  out  to 
be  borne  to  his 
grave.  He  was 
all  the  son  his 
mo-ther  had,  and 
her  friends  stood 
near  her  and 
wept  with  her. 

When  Je-sus 
saw  her  grief  his 
heart  was  sad ,  and 
he  said,  Weep  not. 

And  he  came  up  to  the  bier  on  which  the 
lay,  and  those  who  bore  it  stood  still.      Then  J 
said,  Young  man,  I  say  to  thee  a-rise. 


they 


THE   WID-OW  S   SON   BROUGHT   TO  LIKE. 


dead 
e-sus 


298  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

And  he  that  was  dead  sat  up  and  spoke.  And 
Je-sus  gave  him  to  his  mo-ther.  And  a  great  fear 
came  on  all  who  saw  it,  and  they  gave  praise  to  God, 
and  said  that  a  great  proph-et  had  been  raised  up  in 
their  midst. 

In  old  times  those  who  lived  in  the  East  did 
not  wear  shoes  such  as  we  do.  They  wore  light 
soles,  or  san-dals,  which  were  bound  on  their  feet 
with  straps,  and  thrown  off  as  soon  as  they  came  in- 
to the  house.  Then  wa-ter  was  brought  for  them  to 
wash  their  feet. 

Much  oil  was  used  in  those  lands,  and  is  to  this 
day.  It  was  put  on  the  hair  to  keep  it  moist,  and 
on  the  skin  to  make  it  soft  and  smooth.  This  oil, 
when  some-what  hard,  was  called  oint-ment,  and  was 
kept  in  a  box,  and  had  a  nice  smell. 

Now  a  Phar-i-see,  whose  name  was  Si-mon, 
asked  Je-sus  to  his  house.  And  Je-sus  went  there, 
and  they  sat  down  to  eat.  And  a  wo-man  of  the 
town,  who  had  led  a  life  of  sin,  when  she  heard  that 
Je-sus  was  there,  came  in  with  a  box  of  oint-ment  and 
bowed  down  at  his  feet. 

She  was  full  of  shame,  for  her  sins  had  been  great, 
and  she  had  come  to  Je-sus  to  ask  him  to  for-give  her 
and  help  her  to  lead  a  new  life. 

She  wept,  and  washed  the  feet  of  Je-sus  with  her 
tears,  and  wiped  them  with   the   hairs  of  her  head. 


Good  Words  and  Good  Works. 


299 


And  she  kissed  his  feet,  and  rubbed  them  with  the 
oint-ment  she  had  brought,  and  which  had  cost  her 
a  high  price. 

When  the  Phar-i-see  saw  it  he  said  to  him-self, 
If  this  man  had  come  from  God  he  would  know 
what  kind  of  a 
wo-man  this  is, 
and  would  send 
her  out  of  his 
sight. 

Je-sus,  who 
knew  his  every 
thought,  said  to 
him,  Si-mon,  I 
have  some- 
thing to  say  to 
thee. 

And  he  said, 
My  lord,  say  on. 

Then  Je-sus  said,  Two  men  were  in  debt  to  a 
rich  man.  One  owed  him  a  great  deal,  while  the 
oth-er  owed  him  but  a  small  sum.  But  they  were 
both  so  poor  that  they  could  not  pay  him,  and  he 
told  them  to  think  no  more  of  the  debt,  for  it  would 
be  the  same  as  if  they  had  paid  all  they  owed.  Tell 
me  now  which  one  of  these  would  love  him  the 
most. 


WASH-ING   HANDS   IN   THE   EAST. 


300  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

The  Phar-i-see  said,  I  should  think  that  he  to 
whom  he  for-gave  the  most. 

Je-sus  said  to  him,  That  is  true. 

And  he  turned  to  the  wo-man  and  said  to  Si- 
mon, See'st  thou  this  wo-man  ?  I  came  to  thy  house, 
and  thou  didst  bring  me  no  wa-ter  to  wash  my  feet, 
but  she  hath  washed  my  feet  with  her  tears  and 
wiped  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head.  Thou  didst 
give  me  no  kiss,  but  this  wo-man,  since  the  time  I 
came  in,  has  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  My  head 
with  oil  thou  didst  not  an-oint,  but  she  has  poured 
her  oint-ment  on  my  feet.  So  I  say  to  thee  that  her 
sins,  though  so  great,  will  be  all  wiped  out,  for  she 
has  loved  me  much. 

And  he  said  to  the  wo-man,  Thy  faith  has  saved 
thee;  go  back  to  thy  home  in  peace.  . 

From  this  place  Je-sus  went  on  through  all 
the  large  and  small  towns,  and  told  the  good  news 
that  God  had  sent  his  Son  in-to  the  world  to 
save  men  from  their  sins.  And  the  twelve  were 
with  him. 

Je-sus  might  have  been  rich,  for  all  the  world  was 
his ;  but  he  chose  to  be  poor,  and  to  bear  all  the  ills 
of  life  for  our  sakes,  that  we  might  be  drawn  to  him, 
and  be  saved  from  our  sins.  Good  wo-men,  whom 
he  had  cured,  gave  him  such  things  as  he  had  need 
of,  and  he  did  not  lack  for  food  or  friends. 


Good  Words  and  Good  Works.  30) 

Je-sus  spoke  at  times  in  a  strange  way.  He 
would  take  scenes  from  real  life  and  paint  them, 
as  it  were,  with  words,  so  that  they  were  plain 
to  all.  These  talks  were  meant  to  teach  great 
truths  that  would  lodge  in  the  mind,  and  stand  out 
like  scenes  of  real  life.  They  were  to  take  them 
home  with  them,  and  keep  them  in  their  thoughts 
from  day  to  day. 

One  of  these  talks  was  of  a  rich  man  who  had 
large  fields  and  vine-yards.  And  when-it  was  time 
for  the  crops  to  come  in,  the  rich  man  found  that  his 
barns  would  not  hold  them. 

And  he  said,  What  shall  I  do?  for  I  have  no 
room  where  I  can  put  my  fruits.  This  will  I  do :  I 
will  pull  down  my  small  barns  and  build  large  ones, 
and  there  will  I  store  all  my  goods.  And  I  will  say 
to  my-self,  Thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  that  will 
last  thee  for  years  and  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  of  good  cheer. 

But  God  said  to  him>  Thou  fool,  this  night  thou 
shalt  die.  Then  who  shall  have  those  things  which 
thou  hast  laid  up  for  years  to  come  ? 

This  was  to  teach  us  that  i*  is  of  no  use  for 
men  to  lay  up  great  wealth  in  tnis  world,  for  they 
will  have  to  leave  it  all  when  they  die.  And  it 
is  a  sin  for  a  rich  man  to  spend  all  that  he  owns 
on  him-self,  to  live  at  his  ease,  and  to  eat  and  drink, 


302  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

as  if  there  were  no  poor  in  the  world,  and  no  God 
to  serve. 

Je-sus  told  the  twelve  not  to  fret  be-cause  they 
were  poor,  or  to  have  the  least  fear  that  they  might 
want  for  food,  or  for  clothes  to  wear.  Think  of  the 
birds,  he  said.  They  do  not  sow  seed  in  the  fields, 
nor  reap  grain  and  lay  it  up  for  use  in  time  of  need. 
They  have  no  store-house  or  barn,  yet  they  have  all 
the  food  they  want,  for  God  feeds  them  and  takes 
care  of  them.  And  if  he  does  so  much  for  the  birds, 
how  much  more  will  he  do  for  you  ? 

Look  at  the  flow-ers,  See  how  they  grow.  They 
do  not  work,  or  spin  the  thread  to  weave  in-to  cloth 
as  men  must  do,  and  yet  I  say  to  you  that  King 
Sol-o-mon  did  not  wear  such  rich  robes  as  theirs.  If 
then  God  gives  such  fine  clothes  to  that  which  grows 
in  the  field  like  grass,  and  which  in  a  day  or  two  is 
burnt  up,  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you,  though 
ye  are  so  loth  to  trust  him.  So  do  not  fret  lest  you 
shall  want  for  things  to  eat,  and  to  drink,  and  to 
wear ;  for  God  knows  that  ye  have  need  of  these 
things,  and  if  ye  seek  first  to  do  his  will,  he  will  give 
all  these  things  to  you. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


JESUS    AT    THE    SEA-SHORE. 

WHILE  Je-sus  was  down  by  the  sea,  the  crowd 
grew  so  great  that  he  went  in-to  a  boat  and  sat  down 
to  teach  them  as  they 
stood  on  the  shore. 

He  said,  A  man 
went  out  in  the  field 
to  sow  his  seed.  And 
as  he  threw  the  seed 
from  his  hand,  some 
of  it  fell  on  the  hard 
path  by  the  road  side, 
and  the  birds  flew 
down  and  ate  it.  Some 
fell  on  the  rocks  and 
stones  where  there  was 
not  much  earth,  and 
it  soon  grew  up  on  top 
of  the  ground.  But 
the  sun's  warm  rays 
made  it  droop,  and  as  it  had  no  root,  in  a  few  days 
it  was  all  dried  up, 

303 


THE   SOW-ER. 


3°4  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Some  of  the  seed  fell  where  thorns  and  weeds 
were,  and  these  took  up  all  the  room,  so  that  there 
was  no  space  for  the  seed  to  grow.  The  air  and  the 
sun  could  not  get  at  it,  and  soon  it  was  choked  to 
death. 

But  some  of  the  seed  fell  in  good  ground,  that 
the  plough  had  made  soft.  The  rain  fell  on  it, 
the  sun  shone  on  it,  and  it  sprang  up  and  bore  a 
large  crop  of  grain. 

When  the  crowd  had  left  Je-sus,  the  twelve 
came  near  to  ask  him  what  he  had  meant  to  teach 
by  this  talk  of  seeds  that  were  sown  here  and  there. 

Je-sus  told  them  the  seed  was  the  good  news 
that  he  came  to  preach.  Those  who  preach,  or 
teach,  sow  good  or  bad  seed,  which  takes  root  in  the 
mind  or  heart. 

Some  who  heard  his  words  would  not  care  for 
them,  but  would  go  on  in  their  sins  and  feel  no 
change  of  heart.  New  thoughts  and  fresh  scenes 
would  come  and  eat  up  the  seed-thoughts  that  Je- 
sus had  sown,  as  quick  as  the  birds  ate  up  the  seed 
sown  by  the  road-side. 

Some  who  heard  him  thought  of  his  words  for 
a-while,  and  tried  for  a  short  time  to  do  right.  But 
it  did  not  last  long.  This  was  the  seed  that  fell  in 
the  midst  of  stones,  and  sprang  up  at  first,  but  in  a 
few  days  was  all  dried  up. 


Jesus  at  the  Sea-Shore. 


305 


Some  would  hear  Je-sus  preach,  and  were  glad 
of  the  words  that  he  spoke ;  but  the  cares  of  this 
world,  their  wealth,  and  the  gay  things  of  life,  were 
so  much  in  their  thoughts  that  they  could  not  do  the 
things  he  had  taught 
them. 

This  was  the  seed 
that  fell  in  the  midst  of 
thorns,  and  the  thorns 
grew  up  and  choked  it. 

But  there  were  some 
who  heard  J  e-sus  preach, 
and  who  tried  each  day 
to  do  as  he  taught  them. 
This  was  the  seed  that 
fell  in  good  ground, 
which  took  root  and  grew 
and  brought  forth  ten 
times  as  much  as  had 
been  sown. 

One  of  the  talks  of  Je- 
sus was  of  a  man  who  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field. 
And  while  he  slept  a  foe  came  and  sowed  tares,  or 
weeds,  in  the  midst  of  the  wheat,  and  then  went  on 
his  way.  And  when  it  was  time  for  the  wheat  to 
grow  up,  the  weeds  grew  up  with  it. 

And  when  the  work-men  on  the  farm  saw  this, 


THE  EN-E-MY   SOW-ING   TARES. 


306  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

they  went  at  once  to  the  man  of  the  house,  and  said 
to  him,  Didst  thou  not  sow  good  seed  in  thy  field? 
Where  then  have  these  tares  come  from? 

He  said  to  them,  A  foe  has  done  this. 

The  work-men  said,  Shall  we  go  out,  then,  and 
pull  them  up  by  the  roots? 

And  he  said,  No,  lest  while  you  pull  up  the  tares 
you  pull  up  the  wheat  with  them.  Let  both  grow 
till  it  is  time  to  reap  the  grain;  and  then  I  will  say 
to  the  reap-ers,  Pull  up  the  tares  first  and  bind  them 
in  stacks  to  burn.  But  put  the  wheat  in  my  barn. 

Je-sus  told  the  twelve  what  he  meant  by  this 
talk  of  the  tares  of  the  field. 

The  field  is  the  world.  H  e  who  owns  the  field  and 
sows  the  seed,  is  Je-sus  him-self.  The  wheat  that 
grows  up  means  those  who  hear  his  words,  and  do 
as  he  has  taught  them. 

The  tares  are  bad  men,  who  have  no  love  for 
Je-sus. 

The  foe  that  sows  them  is  Sa-tan. 

The  time  to  reap  the  grain  is  on  the  last  great 
day.  The  reap-ers  are  the  an-gels. 

Je-sus  will  let  the  good  and  the  bad  live  in  the 
world  till  the  last  great  day.  Then  he  will  send 
his  an-gels  to  take  the  good  to  their  home  on  high, 
but  the  bad  will  be  cast  out  in-to  the  fire  that  is  to 
burn  up  the  world. 


Jesus  at  the  Sea-Shore. 


307 


Then  Je-sus  spoke  of  a  man  who  went  out  to  buy 
pearls.  He  went  from  place  to  place,  and  those  who 
had  pearls  to  sell  brought  them  out  for  him  to  look 
at,  but  he  was  hard  to  suit,  and  bought  but  few.  At 
last  he  found  one  that  was  worth  more  than  all  the 
rest  that  he  had  seen. 
But  its  price  was  so  great 
that  he  could  not  buy  it. 
What  did  he  do?  Why, 
he  went  and  sold  all  that 
he  had,  and  came  back 
and  bought  this  pearl  of 
great  price. 

So  will  it  be  with 
those  who  wish  to  be  rid 
of  their  sins,  and  to  be  as 
pure  as  a  pearl  with-in. 
Je-sus  in  us  is  the  pearl 
of  great  price.  Gold  can- 
not buy  it.  But  when 
we  learn  its  cost  we  should 
make  haste  to  get  rid  of 
all  that  keeps  Christ  out  of  our  hearts,  and  make 
room  for  this  one  pearl,  which  is  worth  more  than 
all  else  in  the  world. 

Then  Je-sus  spoke  of  those  who  took  their  net, 
and  went  out  in  a  boat  to  catch  fish.     They  cast  the 


SEEK-ING   GREAT   PEARLS. 


3o8 


History  of  the  New    Testament. 


net  out  of  the  boat  and  threw  it  in-to  the  sea,  and 
when  it  was  full  drew  it  back  to  shore.  Then  they 
sat  down  to  sort  the  fish;  the  good  ones  were  put  in 
their  boats,  and  the  bad  ones  were  thrown  a-way. 

So  it  would  be  at 
the  last  day.  The  an- 
gels would  come  forth 
and  sort  the  good  from 
the  bad.  And  the  good 
would  be  borne  to  their 
home  on  high,  but  the 
bad  would  be  thrown 
in-to  a  fire  that  would 
make  them  cry  out  with 
pain. 

Je-sus  said,  Have 
I  made  these  things 
plain  to  thee?  And 
they  said,  Yes,  Lord. 

One  of  the  Scribes 
came  to  Je-sus,  and 
said,  I  will  not  leave 
thee;  but  where  thou 

dost  go  I  will  go.  Je-sus  said  to  him,  The  fox-es 
have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but 
I  have  not  where  to  lay  my  head.  He  meant  by 
this  that  he  was  poor,  and  had  no  place  where 


PAR-A-BLE  OF  THE  NETS. 


Jesus  at  the  Sea-Shore. 


309 


•B 


he   could  go  and  lie  down  when   he  had  need    of 
rest. 

Night  drew  near,  and  the  crowd  was  so  great 
that  Je-sus  and  the  twelve  went  in  a  boat  to  cross 
the  Sea  of  Gal-i-lee.  And 
there  came  up  a  great 
storm,  and  the  winds  blew 
fierce,  and  the  waves  rose 
high  and  came  with  a  great 
dash  in-to  the  boat. 

And  Je-sus  slept,  for 
he  was  quite  worn  out. 
The  twelve  were  full  of 
fear ;  and  at  last  they  woke 
Je-sus,  and  said,  Lord, 
save  us,  or  we  shall  sink. 

Then  he  rose  and 
spoke  to  the  winds  and 
the  waves,  and  said  to 
them,  Peace,  be  still. 
And  the  wind  ceased  to 
blow,  and  soon  all  was  still 
and  calm. 

And  Je-sus  said  to  the  twelve,  Why  are  ye  in 
such  fear?     How  is  it  that  ye  have  no  faith? 

As  Je-sus  left  the  boat  a  mad-man  came  out  of 
the  tombs  to  meet  him.     He  was  so  fierce  that  no  man 


STILL-ING   THE   TEM-PEST. 


3IQ  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

could  bind  him,  or  tame  him.  He  broke  loose  from 
all  the  ropes  and  chains,  and  no  house  could  hold 
him.  So  night  and  day  he  would  roam  on  the  hills 
and  in  the  caves  or  tombs,  where  graves  had  been 
dug,  and  cry  out  and  cut  him-self  with  bits  of  stones. 

And  while  Je-sus  was  still  far  off,  the  mad-man 
saw  him  and  ran  and  fell  down  at  his  feet.  And  he 
cried  out,  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Je-sus,  thou 
Son  of  God?  Harm  me  not,  I  pray  thee. 

Now  there  was  there,  close  by  the  hills,  a  great 
herd  of  swine.  And  the  fiends  that  were  in  the  man 
begged  Je-sus  to  send  them  in-to  the  swine.  And 
Je-sus  said,  Go.  And  when  they  came  out  of  the 
man  they  went  in  the  swine,  and  the  herd  ran  down 
a  steep  place  and  were  drowned  in  the  sea. 

And  they  that  fed  the  swine  went  and  told  what 
had  been  done,  and  great  crowds  came  to  the  place 
where  Je-sus  was. 

And  when  they  saw  that  the  mad-man  sat  with 
his  clothes  on  and  in  his  right  mind,  they  were  in 
great  fear.  And  they  prayed  Je-sus  to  leave  the 
place  at  once. 

When  Je-sus  was  come  in-to  the  boat,  he  that  had 
been  out  of  his  mind  begged  that  he  might  go  with 
him.  But  Je-sus  would  not  let  him,  and  said  to 
him,  Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  what 
great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee. 


Jesus  Brings  the  Dead  to  Life.  311 

And  the  man  went  and  told  how  he  had  been 
made  well,  and  those  who  heard  him  felt  that  Je-sus 
must  have  been  sent  from  God,  for  no  mere  man 
could  do  such  strange  things. 


CHAPTER  X. 

JESUS    BRINGS    THE    DEAD    TO    LIFE. FEEDS    FIVE 

THOUSAND. 

JE-SUS  went  back  to  Ca-per-na-um.  And  as  he 
stood  by  the  sea-shore,  one  of  the  chief  men  of  the 
church  came  to  him,  whose  name  was  Ja-i-rus. 

He  was  in  deep  grief,  for  he  had  but  one  child, 
a  girl  twelve  years  oi  age,  and  she  lay  sick  at  his 
home  and  there  was  no  help  for  her.  And  he  said 
to  Je-sus,  My  child  lies  at  the  point  of  death.  I 
pray  thee  come  and  lay  thy  hands  on  her  that  she 
may  live. 

And  Je-sus  went  with  him,  and  so  did  the 
twelve,  and  all  the  crowd  that  had  come  up  to  hear 
Je-sus  preach.  And  in  the  throng  was  a  wo-man 
who  had  been  sick  for  twelve  years.  She  had  spent 
all  she  had  to  try  to  be  made  well ;  but  all  the  drug? 
she  took  did  her  no  good,  and  no  one  could  seem  to 
help  her  case.  So  she  went  on  from  bad* to  worse. 


312  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

When  she  heard  of  Je-sus  she  came  up  with  the 
crowd  at  his  back,  and  put  out  her  hand  and  touched 
the  hem  of  his  robe.  For,  she  said,  if  I  may  touch 
but  his  clothes  I  shall  be  made  well.  And  as  soon 
as  she  had  done  this  she  felt  that  she  was  cured. 

All  this  was  known  to  Je-sus,  and  yet  he  faced 
the  crowd  and  said,  Who  touched  me? 

Pe-ter  said  that  some  one  in  the  throng  had  been 
pushed  up  close  to  him,  and  thought  it  strange  that 
Je-sus  did  not  know  it. 

Je-sus  said,  Some  one  touched  me,  and  he  looked 
round  to  see  who  had  done  it. 

When  the  wo-man  saw  that  Je-sus  knew  all,  and 
that  she  could  not  hide  from  him,  she  shook  with  fear, 
and  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  told  him  why  she  had 
touched  him,  and  how  that  touch  had  made  her  well. 

Je-sus  said  to  her,  Be  of  good  cheer.  Thy  faith 
in  me  hath  made  thee  well. 

While  he  yet  spoke  to  her,  there  came  one  from 
the  house  of  Ja-i-rus,  who  said  to  him,  Thy  child  is 
dead. 

When  Je-sus  heard  it  he  said,  Fear  not.  Trust 
in  me  and  she  shall  be  made  well.  And  when  he 
came  to  the  house,  he  found  a  great  crowd  there,  who 
wept  and  mourned  the  loss  of  the  young  child. 

Je-sus  said  to  them,  Why  do  you  weep?     She 
sleeps;  she  is  not  dead. 


Jesus  Brings  the  Dead  to  Life. 


He  meant  that  she  would  soon  rise  from  the  dead, 
as  one  who  wakes  out  of  his  sleep. 

But  they  saw  that  she  was  dead,  and  as  they  had 
no  faith  in   his  words 
they    laughed    him    to 
scorn. 

Then  he  put  them 
all  out  of  the  room  save 
three  of  the  twelve — 
Pe-ter,  James,  and 
John — and  the  fa-ther 
and  mo-ther  of  the 
young  girl.  Then  he 
took  the  child  by  the 
hand  and  said,  I  say 
to  thee  a-rise.  And 
she  rose  from  her  bed, 
and  had  strength  to 
walk,  and  Je-sus  bade 
them  bring  her  some 
food  that  she  might  eat. 

And  her  fa-ther  and 
mo-ther  knew  not  what 
to  think  of  these 

strange  things.  Je-sus  bade  them  tell  no  one  of  what 
he  had  done,  and  there  was  no  need  for  them  to 
speak.  For  there  was  their  child,  well  and  strong, 


CUK-KU    BY    TOUCH-ING    HIS    GAR-MENT. 


History  of  the  New   Testament. 


once  more  the  light  and  joy  of  their  house,  and 
their  hearts  must  have  been  full  of  thanks  and 
praise  to  God ! 

When  Je-suswent  from  the  house  of  Ja-i-rus  two 

blind  men  came  near 
him  and  cried  out, 
Thou  Son  of  Da-vid 
have  mer-cy  on  us. 
They  said  this  be-cause 
they  knew  that  he  was 
of  King  Da-vid's  race. 
Je-sus  said  to  them, 
Do  you  think  that  I  can 
make  you  well  ?  They 
said  to  him,  Yes,  Lord. 
Then  he  touched 
their  eyes,  and  at  once 
their  sight  came  back 
to  them.  And  he  said 
to  them,  Tell  no  man 
what  I  have  done  to 
you.  But  when  they 
left  him  they  went  from 
place  to  place  and  told  all  whom  they  met  how  Je- 
sus had  brought  back  their  sight. 

And  they  brought  to  him  a  dumb  man  who  could 
not  speak  be-cause  of  the  fiend  that  was  in  him.    And 


THE   DAUGHTER  OF  JA-I-RUS 


Jesus  Brings  the  Dead  to  Life. 


as  soon  as  Je-sus  cast  put  the  fiend  the  man  spoke. 
And  all  those  who  saw  it  were  in  a  maze,  and  said, 
Such  things  as  these  have  not  been  done  be-fore 
in  the  land  of  Is- 
ra-el. 

But  the  Phar-i- 
sees  felt  such  hate 
for  Je-sus  that  they 
said  that  he  could 
cast  out  fiends  be- 
cause he  had  the 
help  of  Sa-tan,  the 
prince  of  all  fiends. 

Je-sus  said  to 
the  twelve,  Come, 
let  us  go  to  some 
lone  place  and  rest 
a  while.  For  the 
crowds  were  so  great 
that  they  had  no 
time  to  eat.  And 
they  went  in  a  boat 
quiet-ly  to  cross  the 
Sea  of  Gal-i-lee,  where  they  might  rest  and  take  the 
food  they  were  so  much  in  need  of.  But  as  soon  as  the 
folks  heard  of  it  they  set  out  on  foot  and  went  round  by 
the  shore  till  they  came  to  the  place  where  Je-sus  was. 


THE   TWO   BLIND   MEN. 


316  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

And  when  Je-sus  went  out  and  saw  them,  his 
heart  was  moved,  and  he  taught  them,  and  made  the 
sick  ones  well. 

When  night  came  on,  the  twelve  said  to  Je-sus, 
Send  these  off  that  they  may  go  to  the  towns  and 
buy  food  for  them-selves,  for  they  have  nought 
to  eat. 

Je-sus  said,  They  need  not  go.  Give  you  them 
some-thing  to  eat. 

They  said,  Shall  we  go  out  and  buy  bread  and 
give  it  to  them? 

Je-sus  said,  How  much  have  you?  Go  and  see. 

When  they  knew  they  said,  We  have  five  loaves 
and  two  small  fish-es. 

Je-sus  bade  the  twelve  have  the  crowd  seat 
them-selves  in  rows  on  the  green  grass.  .  Then  he 
took  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fish-esr  and  gave 
thanks  to  God  for  them.  And  he  broke  the  loaves, 
and  the  fish-es,  and  the  twelve  gave  them  piece  by 
piece  to  the  crowd,  till  all  had  had  their  fill. 

When  the  feast  was  at  an  end  there  was  e-nough 
bread  and  fish  left  to  fill  twelve  bas-kets. 

Then  Je-sus  bade  the  twelve  dis-ci-ples  get  in-to 
the  boat  and  go  back  to  Ca-per-na-um. 

And  when  the  crowd  had  left  him  he  went  up 
on  a  high  hill  to  pray.  And  when  night  came  on  he 
was  there  with  none  but  God  near  him. 


Jesus  Brings  the  Dead  to  Life. 


3*7 


The  twelve  were  in  the  boat,  out  in  the  midst  of 
the  sea. 

Their  oars  were  of  no  use,  for  the  wind  blew  hard 
the  wrong  way,  and  drove 

their 
the 


them     back 
course,     and 


from 
made 

waves  toss  the  boat  here 
and  there. 

Je-sus  could  see  it  all 
from  his  high  place  on  the 
hill,  and  in  the  night  he 
went  down  to  the  shore 
and  walked  out  on  the 
sea. 

When  the  twelve  saw 
him  they  were  in  a  great 
fright,  for  they  thought  it 
was  a  ghost,  and  they  cried 
out  in  their  fear. 

Je-sus  said,  Be  of  good 
cheer.  It  is  I. 

Pe-ter  spoke  from  the 
boat,  and  said,  Lord,  if  it 
be  thou,  bid  me  come  to 
thee  on  the  sea.  Je-sus  said  to  him,  Come,  and  Pe- 
ter came  out  of  the  boat  and  walked  on  the  waves 
to  go  to  Je-sus.  But  when  he  heard  the  noise  of 


FEED-ING   THE  MUL-T1-TUDE. 


318 


History  of  the  New   Testament. 


the  wind,  and  saw  the  waves  dash  all  round  him,  he 
was  in  great  fear;   and  as  he  felt  him-self  sink  he 

cried  out,  Lord, 


save  me. 

Je-sus  put 
forth  his  hand 
and  caught  him, 
and  said  to  him, 
O  thou  of  lit-tle 
faith,  why  didst 
thou  doubt  me? 
When  Je-sus 
and  Pe-ter  came 
in-to  the  boat  the 
wind  was  still, 
and  the  twelve 
were  soon  on  the 
shore  they  had 
set  out  to  reach. 
Then  they  fell 
at  his  feet,  and 
said,  It  is  true 
that  thou  art  the 
Son  of  God. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  where  Je-sus  was, 
crowds  came  from  all  the  towns  that  were  near,  and 
brought  their  sick  in  their  beds  that  he  might  make 


PE-TER    WALK-ING    ON    THE    WA-TER. 


CHRIST    WALK-ING   ON    THE    SEA. 


319 


320  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

them  well.  And  when  he  went  through  the  large 
and  small  towns  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets,  and 
begged  that  they  might  touch  but  the  hem  of  his 
robe.  And  at  a  touch  they  were  all  made  well. 


CHAPTER   XL 

JESUS     HEALS    THE     SICK. --HIS    FORM    CHANGED    ON    THE 

MOUNT. 

JE-SUS  went  to  Ca-per-na-um  and  taught  the  Jews 
there.  But  all  that  he  said  made  them  hate  him  the 
more,  and  their  chief  priests  did  all  they  could  to 
prove  that  he  was  not  the  Christ  who  was  to  save 
them.  They  thought  that  he  who  was  to  be  the 
King  of  the  Jews  would  come  in  rich  robes,  and 
with  all  the  signs  of  high  rank.  So  they  would  have 
naught  to  do  with  a  poor  man  like  Je-sus. 

It  made  Je-sus  sad  to  have  the  Jews  turn  from 
him,  and  he  left  them,  and  went  out  to  the  towns  of 
Tyre  and  Si-don,  which  were  on  the  sea-coast.  And 
no  Jews  dwelt  there. 

Yet  a  wo-man,  as  soon  as  she  heard  he  was  there, 
came  out  and  cried  to  him,  O  Lord,  thou  Son  of 
Da-vid,  come  and  heal  my  child,  for  she  has  gone 
mad. 


J/^ 


M 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick. 


323 


Je-sus  said  he  was  sent  to  none  but  the  Jews. 

This  he  did  to  try  her  faith,  for  she  was  not  a  Jew. 

But  she  fell  at  his  feet,  and  cried  out,  Lord  help 


me! 


Je-sus  said  to  her,  Great  is  thy  faith;  thy  child  is 
made  well. 

And  when  she  went  back  to  her  house  she  found 
her  child  had  been  made  well  at  the  same  hour  that 
she  spoke  to  Je-sus. 

Then  Je-sus  and  the  twelve  went  down  near  the 


324  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Sea  of  Gal-i-lee  once  more.  And  they  brought  to 
Je-sus  a  man  that  was  deaf,  and  who  could  not  speak 
plain,  that  he  might  lay  his  hands  on  him  and  heal 
him. 

Je-sus  took  him  out  of  the  crowd,  and  touched 
his  ears  and  tongue,  and  at  once  the  man  was  made 
well,  so  that  he  could  both  hear  and  speak. 

And  crowds  came  to  him,  and  brought  those  that 
were  lame,  blind,  and  dumb,  and  laid  them  down  at 
the  feet  of  Je-sus,  that  he  might  heal  them.  And 
Je-sus  healed  them  all,  so  that  the  crowds  were  in  a 
maze  when  they  saw  the  dumb  speak,  the  lame  walk, 
and  the  blind  see ;  and  they  gave  praise  and  thanks 
to  God  for  what  he  had  done. 

At  the  end  of  six  days  Je-sus  took  Pe-ter,  James, 
and  John,  and  went  up  on  a  high  mount  to  pray. 
And  while  he  was  there  a  great  change  took  place  in 
him.  His  face  shone  as  the  sun,  and  his  clothes  were 
as  white  as  snow,  and  the  light  shone  through  them, 

And  Mo-ses  and  E-li-jah  came  to  him,  and 
spoke  with  him. 

Pe-ter  said,  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here. 
Let  us  make  three  tents,  one  for  thee,  and  one  for 
Mo-ses,  and  one  for  E-li-jah. 

While  he  yet  spoke  there  came  a  bright  cloud, 
out  of  which  a  voice  spoke  and  said,  This  is  my  dear 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.  Hear  ye  him. 


Jesus  Heals  the  Sick. 


325 


When  Pe-ter,  James,  and  John  heard  it,  they 
bowed  down  to  the  ground,  and  were  in  great  fear. 

Je-sus  came  and  touched  them,  and  said,  Rise. 
Fearnot.   Andwhen 
they  raised  their  eyes 
they  saw  no  one  but 
Je-sus. 

As  they  came 
down  from  the 
mount,  Je-sus  bade 
them  tell  no  one  what 
they  had  seen  till  he 
rose  from  the  dead. 

The  next  day, 
when  they  had  come 
down  from  the 
mount,  there  was  a 
great  crowd  to  see 
Je-sus.  And  one 
man  knelt  at  his  feet 
and  said,  Lord, 
help  my  son,  for  he 
has  fits,  and  the 
fiends  in  him  vex  him  so  that  he  falls  in  the  nre  and 
in  the  wa-ter.  I  took  him  to  those  whom  thou  hast 
taught  to  heal,  to  see  if  they  could  cure  him;  and 
they  could  not. 


PE-TER    AND    THE    TRIB-UTE    MON-EY. 


326  History  of  tke  New    Testament. 

Je-sus  said,  Bring  him  to  me.  And  they  brought 
him ;  and  he  fell  on  the  ground  and  foamed  at  the 
mouth. 

Je-sus  said  to  the  fiend  that  was  in  the  young 
man,  Come  out  of  him  and  vex  him  no  more. 

And  the  fiend  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  and  shook 
the  young  man,  and  came  out  of  him,  but  left  him 
weak,  like  one  dead.  And  those  who  stood  near 
thought  he  was  dead.  But  Je-sus  took  him  by  the 
hand  and  raised  him,  and  he  stood  on  his  feet  and 
was  well  from  that  hour. 

Then  Je-sus  and  the  twelve  went  to  Ca-per-na-um. 
And  when  they  were  in  the  house  Je-sus  said,  Why 
were  ye  at  such  strife  in  your  talk  on  the  way? 

And  for  shame  they  held  their  peace,  for  their 
talk  had  been  as  to  which  should  have  the  high-est 
place  in  the  realm  where  Je-sus  was  to  reign  as  King 
of  the  Jews. 

When  they  had  sat  down  Je-sus  said  to  the 
twelve,  He  who  seeks  to  be  first  shall  be  last  of  all. 

And  he  took  a  child  and  set  it  in  the  midst  of 
them,  and  told  them  that  they  must  put  pride 
out  of  their  hearts  and  be  as  meek  as  a  child.  For 
he  who  thought  not  of  him-self,  but  did  God's  will 
as  a  child  does  the  will  of  its  fa-ther,  the  same  should 
be  great  in  the  realm  which  Je-sus  was  to  set  up. 

Je-sus  taught  there  for  some  time,  and  then  set 


The   Good  Samaritan.  327 

out   for  Je-ru-sa-lem.      And   the  twelve  went  with 
him. 

When  they  were  come  to  Ca-per-na-um,  those  that 
took  in  the  tnb-ute  mon-ey  came  to  Pe-ter  and  said, 
Doth  not  your  mas-ter  pay  trib-ute. 

This  was  the  tax  the  Jews  had  to  pay  to  Ce-sar 
as  the  price  of  peace. 

Pe-ter  said,  Yes.  And  when  he  came  in-to  the 
house  Je-sus  met  him  and  said. 

Of  whom  do  the  kings  of  the  earth  take  cus-tom 
or  trib-ute?  of  their  own  chil-dren  or  of  stran-gers? 

Pe-ter  said,  Of  stran-gers. 

Je-sus  said,  Then  are  the  chil-dren  free.  But 
lest  we  should  give  cause  for  blame,  go  thou  to  the 
sea,  and  cast  a  hook,  and  take  up  the  fish  that  first 
comes  up.  In  its  mouth  thou  shalt  find  a  piece  of 
mon-ey.  Take  that  and  give  it  to  them  for  me  and 
thee. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE  GOOD  SAMARITAN. MARTHA  AND  MARY. THE 

MAN  BORN  BLIND. 

JE-SUS  went  to  the  great  church  in  Je-ru-sa-lem, 
and  the  Jews  came  there  in  crowds  to  hear  him 
preach,  and  to  find  fault  with  him. 


328  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

And  a  man  of  law  stood  up  and  said,  What  must 
I  do  to  be  saved?  Je-sus  said  to  him,  What  does 
the  law  say?  How  dost  thou  read  it  ?  The  man  of 
law  said,  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
strength,  and  thy  neigh-bor  as  thy-self. 

Je-sus  said  to  him,  That  is  right.  Do  this,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved. 

The  man  of  law  said,  Who  is  my  neigh-bor? 
Then  Je-sus  spoke  in  this  way,  and  said,  A  man 
went  down  from  Je-ru-sa-lem  to  Je-ri-cho.  And  the 
thieves  fell  on  him,  tore  off  his  clothes  and  beat  him, 
then  went  on  their  way  and  left  him  half  dead  on  the 
ground. 

By  chance  there  came  a  priest  that  way,  and 
when  he  saw  the  poor  man  he  went  by  him  on  the 
oth-er  side  of  the  road. 

Then  one  of  the  tribe  of  Le-vi  came  to  the  place, 
and  took  a  look  at  the  poor  man,  and  went  by  on 
the  oth-er  side  of  the  road. 

By  and  by  a  Sa-mar-i-tan — that  is,  a  man  from 
Sa-ma-ri-a — came  that  way,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw 
the  poor  man  on  the  ground  his  heart  was  moved, 
and  he  made  haste  to  help  him. 

Now  the  Jews  did  not  like  the  Sa-mar-i-tans,  and 
would  have  nought  to  do  with  them.  And  those  to 
whom  Je-sus  spoke  would  not  have  thought  it  strange 


The  Good  Samaritan. 


329 


if  this  man  from  Sa-ma-ri-a  had  left  the  Jew  to  die 
by  the  road-side. 

But  this  he  could  not  do,  for  he  had  a  kind 
heart.  He  went  to  the 
poor  man  and  bound 
up  his  wounds,  and  set 
him  on  his  own  beast, 
and  brought  him  to  an 
inn,  and  took  care  of 
him. 

And  the  next  day 
when  he  left  he  took 
out  two  pence  and  gave 
them  to  the  host,  and 
said  to  him,  Take  care 
of  him;  and  if  thou  hast 
need  to  spend  more 
than  that,  when  I  come 
back  I  will  pay  thee. 

Which  now  of 
these  three  dost  thou 
think  was  neigh-bor  to 
him  who  fell  a-mong 
thieves? 

And  the  man  of  law  said,  He  that  was  kind  to 
him. 

Then  said  Je-sus,  Go,  and  do  thou  like-wise;  that 


THE   GOOD    SAM-AR-I-TAN. 


330  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

is,  to  those  who  need  help  go  and  do  as  the  Sa-mar- 
i-tan  did. 

Je-suscame  to  Beth-a-ny — a  small  place  near  Je- 
ru-sa-lem — and  a  wo-man,  whose  name  was  Mar-tha, 
asked  him  to  come  to  her  house.  She  had  a  sis-ter, 
whose  name  was  Ma-ry,  and  while  Mar-tha  went  to 
get  things  and  to  cook,  and  sweep,  and  dust,  Ma-ry 
sat  down  at  the  feet  of  Je-sus  to  hear  him  talk. 

This  did  not  please  Mar-tha,  who  felt  that  she 
had  too  much  work  to  do;  so  she  came  to  Je-sus  and 
said,  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sis-ter  hath 
left  me  to  do  the  work  a-lone?  Bid  her  there-fore 
come  and  help  me. 

Je-sus  said  to  her,  Mar-tha,  Mar-tha,  thou  art 
full  of  care  and  vexed  a-bout  more  things  than  there 
is  need  of.  There  is  need  of  but  one  thing,  and 
Ma-ry  hath  made  choice  of  that  which  is  good,  and 
no  one  shall  take  it  from  her. 

He  meant  that  Ma-ry  chose  to  care  for  her  soul, 
and  to  be  taught  how  to  live  in  this  world,  so  that 
she  might  fit  her-self  for  the  next  one.  And  the  one 
thing  we  all  need  is  a  new  heart,  full  of  love  to  Je- 
sus and  glad  to  do  his  work. 

One  of  the  twelve  said  to  Je-sus,  Teach  us  how 
to  pray,  as  John  taught  those  who  were  with  him. 
Je-sus  taught  them  to  pray  thus: 

Our  Fa-ther,  who  art  in  heav-en,  Hal-low-ed  be 


The  Good  Samaritan. 


thy  name,  Thy  king-dom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heav-en,  Give  us  this  day  our  dai-ly 
bread,  and  for- 
give  us  our 
debts  as  we 
for-give  our 
debt-ors.  Lead 
us  not  in-to 
temp-ta-tion 
but  de-liv-er  us 
from  e-vil,  for 
thine  is  the 
king-dom,  the 
pow-er,  and 
the  glo-ry,  both 
now  and  for- 
ev-er.  A-men. 
Then  he 
said,  Which 
of  you  shall 
have  a  friend 
and  shall  go  to 
him  at  mid- 
night and  say 
to  him,  Friend, 
lend  me  three  loaves :  for  a  friend  of  mine  has  come 
a  long  way  to  see  me,  and  I  have  no  food  for  him. 


MA-RY    AND    MAR-THA. 


332  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

And  he  who  is  in-side  shall  say,  The  door  is  now 
shut,  and  my  chil-dren  are  with  me  in  bed;  I  can-not 
rise  and  give  thee. 

I  say  to  you,  though  he  will  not  rise  and  give  him 
be-cause  he  is  his  friend,  yet  if  he  keeps  on  and  begs 
hard  he  will  rise  and  give  him  as  much  as  he  needs. 
And  I  say  to  you,  Ask  God  for  what  you  need  and 
he  will  give  it  to  you.  Seek  and  ye  shall  find. 
Knock,  and  the  door  that  is  shut  will  o-pen  for  you. 

For,  he  said,  if  a  child  of  yours  should  ask  for 
bread,  would  you  give  him  a  stone?  or  should  he  ask 
for  a  fish,  would  you  give  him  a  snake?  If  ye  then, 
who  are  full  of  sin,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to 
your  chil-dren,  how  much  more  sure  is  it  that  God 
will  give  good  things  to  those  who  ask  him. 

Je-sus  chose  three-score  and  ten  more  men  and 
sent  them  out,  two  and  two,  in-to  all  the  towns  where 
he  meant  to  come,  that  they  might  heal  the  sick  and 
preach  the  good  news.  And  they  did  as  he  told 
them,  and  came  back  full  of  joy  at  the  great  things 
they  had  done  through  the  strength  that  he  gave 
them.  Je-sus  told  them  that  they  should  feel  more 
joy  that  their  names  were  set  down  in  the  Book  of 
Life — God's  book — where  he  keeps  the  names  of  all 
those  who  love  him,  and  do  his  will  on  earth. 

The  Feast  of  Tents  was  near  at  hand,  and  Je- 
sus said  to  the  twelve,  Go  ye  up  to  this  feast,  but  I 


THE  BEND-ING  OUT   OF  THE  SEV-EN-TY. 


333 


334  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

will  not  go  now,  for  my  time  has  not  yet  come.  So 
he  staid  in  Gal-i-lee  for  a-while.  Then  he  went  up 
to  Je-ru-sa-lem,  but  did  not  make  him-self  known 
lest  the  Jews  should  kill  him. 

The  Jews  sought  for  him  at  the  feast,  and 
said,  Where  is  he?  And  there  was  much  talk  of 
him.  Some  said,  He  is  a  good  man;  and  some 
said,  No,  he  is  a  fraud.  But  no  one  dared  to  speak 
well  of  him  out  loud  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 

In  the  midst  of  the  feast  Je-sus  went  up  in-to  the 
church  and  taught  there.  And  he  said,  Ye  both 
know  me,  and  ye  know  from  whence  I  came.  I  am 
not  come  to  please  my-self,  but  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  whom  ye  know  not.  But  I  know  him, 
for  I  have  come  from  him,  and  he  hath  sent  me. 

Then  they  made  a  rush  for  him,  but  no  man  laid 
hands  on  him,  for  his  hour  had  not  yet  come.  God 
had  set  the  time  for  him  to  die,  and  no  one  could 
harm  him  till  that  day  and  hour. 

As  he  came  from  the  church  he  saw  a  man  who 
had  been  blind  from  his  birth.  Je-sus  spat  on  the 
ground  and  made  clay  of  the  moist  earth,  and  spread 
the  clay  on  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man. 

Then  he  told  him  to  go  and  wash  in  a  pool  that 
was  near.  And  he  went,  and  did  as  he  was  told, 
and  his  sight  came  back  to  him. 

And  his  friends,  and  those  who   had  seen   him 


The  Good  Samaritan. 


335 


when  he  was  blind,  said,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and 
begged  ? 

Some  said,  This  is  he;  and  some  said,  He  is  like 
him;    but    the    man 
said,  I  am  he. 

Then  they  said 
to  him,  How  were 
thine  eyes  cured? 

And  he  said,  A 
man,  by  the  name  of 
Je-sus,  made  clay  and 
spread  it  on  my  eyes, 
and  said  to  me,  Go  to 
the  pool  of  Si-lo-am 
and  wash  ;  and  I  went 
and  did  so,  and  my 
back  to 


sight 


came 


me. 

Then  they  said  to 
him,  Where  is  he? 
He  said,  I  know  not. 

It  was  on  the  day 
of  rest  that  Je-sus 
made  the  clay,  and 
the  Phar-i-sees,  when  they  heard  of  it,  said,  This 
man  is  not  of  God,  for  he  does  not  keep  the  day  of 
rest.  And  they  went  to  the  fa-ther  and  the  mo-ther 


'  ONCE  I  WAS  BLIND,   BUT  NOW  I   SEE.1 


336  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

of  the  man  who  had  been  blind,  and  said  to  them, 
Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say  was  born  blind?  How 
then  doth  he  now  see? 

His  pa- rents  said,  We  know  that  this  is  our  son, 
and  that  he  was  born  blind;  but  by  what  means  he 
now  sees,  or  who  hath  cured  his  eyes,  we  know  not. 
He  is  of  age,  ask  him;  he  shall  speak  for  him-self. 

They  spoke  thus  for  fear  of  the  Jews;  for  the 
Jews  had  made  it  known  that  all  those  who-said  that 
Je-sus  was  the  Christ  should  be  put  out  of  the 
church.  So  they  said,  He  is  of  age;  ask  him. 

Then  the  Phar-i-sees  went  to  the  man  that  was 
blind,  and  said  to  him,  Give  God  the  praise,  for  we 
know  that  this  man  is  a  man  of  sin. 

He  said  to  them,  What  he  is  I  know  not;  but 
this  I  do  know,  that  once  I  was  blind,  but  now  I  see. 

Then  they  said  to  him,  What  did  he  do  to  thee? 
How  did  he  cure  thine  eyes? 

The  man  said,  I  have  told  you  be-fore,  and  ye 
did  not  hear.  Why  would  ye  hear  me  say  it  once 
more?  Would  ye  be  of  his  band? 

Then  they  spoke  harsh  words  to  him,  and  said, 
Thou  dost  take  sides  with  him,  but  we  stand  by  Mo- 
ses. We  know  that  God  spoke  to  Mo-ses  ;  but  as 
for  this  fel-low,  we  know  not  who  sent  him. 

The  man  said,  It  is  strange  that  ye  know  not 
who  sent  him,  when  he  has  brought  sight  to  my  blind 


Jesus,  the    Good  Shepkerd. 

eyes.  Since  the  world  was  made  we  have  not  heard 
of  a  man  who  could  give  sight  to  one  that  was  born 
blind.  If  this  man  were  not  of  God  he  could  not 
have  done  this  thing. 

The  Phar-i-sees  were  full  of  wrath,  and  said  to  the 
man,  Thou  hast  dwelt  in  sin  from  thy  birth,  and 
wilt  thou  try  to  teach  us?  And  they  drove  him  out 
of  the  church. 

Je-sus  heard  of  it,  and  when  he  found  the  man 
he  said  to  him,  Have  you  faith  in  the  son  of  God? 

He  said,  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  may  put  my 
trust  in  him  ? 

Je-sus  said,  It  is  he  that  talks  with  thee. 

The  man  said,  Lord,  I  know  that  it  must  be  so; 
and  he  fell  at  the  feet  of  Je-sus,  and  gave  praise  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

JESUS,  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. LAZARUS  BROUGHT  TO  LIFE. 

-THE  FEAST,  AND  THOSE  WHO  WERE  BID  TO  IT. 

JE-SUS  said  to  those  whom  he  taught,  I  am  the 
good  shep-herd.  The  good  shep-herd  will  give  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  But  he  that  is  hired,  and  who 
does  not  own  the  sheep,  when  he  sees  the  wolf 
will  leave  the  sheep  and  run  to  save  his  own  life. 


3  ^  3  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Then  the  wolf  lays  hold  of  the  sheep,  and  puts  the 
flock  to  flight.  He  who  is  hired  flees  from  the  sheep, 
be-cause  he  does  not  care  for  them. 

I  am  the  good  shep-herd  and  know  my  sheep, 
and  my  sheep  know  me.  And  I  will  lay  down  my 
life  for  the  sheep. 

Some  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of  this  fold; 
they  too  must  I  bring  in,  and  they  shall  hear  my 
voice,  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shep-herd. 

The  Jews  found  fault  with  his  words,  and  some 
said,  He  talks  like  a  mad-man. 

As  Je-sus  went  out  on  the  porch  at  one  side  of 
the  great  church  that  He-rod  built,  the  Jews  came 
round  him  and  said,  How  long  wilt  thou  keep  us  in 
doubt?  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  so  in  plain 
words. 

Je-sus  said,  I  told  you,  and  ye  had  no  faith  in 
me.  The  works  that  I  do,  in  God's  name,  are  proof 
that  I  am  sent  from  him.  But  ye  do  not  trust  me 
be-cause  ye  are  not  my  sheep.  My  sheep  hear  my 
voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  go  the  way  I  lead. 
They  shall  not  be  lost,  and  no  one  shall  take  them 
from  me.  For  God  gave  them  to  me,  and  no  one 
can  take  them  out  of  his  hand.  I  and  my  Fa-ther 
are  one. 

Then  the  Jews  took  up  stones  to  stone  him,  be- 
cause he  said  that  he  was  God. 


Jesus,   the  Good  Shepherd. 


339 


But  he  fled  from  them,  and  went  out  of  Je-ru-sa- 
lem  to  a  place  near  the  Jor-dan,  where  crowds  came 
to  hear  him,  and  to  be  taught  of  him.  And  not  a 
few  gave  their  hearts  to  Je-sus,  and  sought  to  lead 
new  lives ;  to  do  right 
and  to  be  good. 

Ma-ry  and  Mar- 
tha, who  lived  at 
Beth-a-ny,  had  a  bro- 
ther whose  name  was 
Laz-a-rus,  and  he  was 
sick.  So  his  sis-ters 
sent  word  to  Je-sus, 
but  though  he  was 
fond  of  these  friends 
at  Beth-a-ny  he  made 
no  haste  to  go  to 
them,  but  staid  two 
days  in  the  place 
where  he  was. 

Then  he  said  to 
the  twelve,  Let  us  go 
back  to  Beth-a-ny,  for 
my   friend    Laz-a-rus   sleeps,   and    I    must   go    and 
wake  him. 

He  meant  that  Laz-a-rus  was  dead,  and  that  he 
must  go  and  bring  him  back  to  life. 


THE  LOST   SHEEP. 


340  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

But  the  twelve  thought  that  he  meant  that  Laz- 
a-rus  slept,  as  we  do  when  we  take  our  rest. 

Now  Beth-a-ny  was  near  Je-ru-sa-lem,  and  a 
crowd  of  Jews  had  gone  there  to  weep  with  Ma-ry 
and  Mar-tha.  As  soon  as  Mar-tha  heard  that  Je- 
sus was  near  she  ran  out  to  meet  him;  but  Ma-ry 
sat  still  in  the  house.  And  Mar-tha  said  to  Je-sus, 
If  thou  hadst  been  here  my  bro-ther  would  not  have 
died.  But  I  know  that  e-ven  now  what  thou  wilt 
ask  of  God  he  will  give  it  thee. 

Je-sus  said  to  her,  Thy  bro-ther  shall  rise  a-gain. 

Mar-tha  said,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  at  the 
last  day. 

Then  Mar-tha  went  back  to  the  house  and  said 
to  Ma-ry,  The  mas-ter  has  come  and  asks  for  thee. 

Ma-ry  rose  at  once  and  went  out  to  meet  him; 
and  those  who  saw  her  leave  the  house,  said,  She 
goes  to  the  grave  to  weep  there. 

As  soon  as  Ma-ry  came  to  the  place  where  Je- 
sus was,  she  fell  at  his  feet  and  said,  Lord,  if  thou 
hadst  been  here  my  bro-ther  had  not  died. 

When  Je-sus  saw  her  tears,  and  the  tears  of  those 
who  wept  with  her,  he  was  full  of  grief,  and  said, 
Where  have  ye  laid  him  ? 

They  said,  Lord,  come  and  see. 

Je-sus  wept.  And  when  the  Jews  saw  it  they 
said,  See  how  he  loved  him.  And  some  of  them 


Jesus,  the  Good  Shepherd. 

said,  Could  not  this  man,  who  gave  the  blind  their 

sight,  have  saved  Laz-a-rus  from  death  ? 

* 
Je-sus  came  to  the  grave.      It  was  a  cave,  and  a 

stone  lay  at  the  mouth  p 
of  it. 

Je-sus  said,  Take  a- 
way  the  stone.  Mar-tha 
said  to  him,  By  this 
time  he  must  be  in  a 
bad  state,  for  he  has 
been  dead  four  days. 

Je-sus  said  to  her, 
Did  I  not  tell  thee  that 
if  thou  hadst  faith  thou 
should  see  what  great 
things  God  could  do? 

Then  they  took  the 
stone  from  the  place 
where  the  dead  was  laid. 
And  Je-sus  cried  out 
with  a  loud  voice,  Laz- 
a-rus,  come  forth. 

And  he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand 
and  foot  in  his  grave  clothes,  and  with  his  head  tied 
up  in  a  cloth.  Je-sus  said,  Loose  him  and  let 
him  go. 

And  some  of  the  Jews  who  came  to  be  with  Ma- 


LAZ-A-RUS   RAISED   FROM    THE  DEAD. 


342  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

ry  and  Mar-tha,  and  saw  this  great  thing  which  Je- 
sus did,  had  faith  in  him  that  he  was  the  son  of  God. 
But  some  of  them  went  to  the  Phar-i-sees  and  told 
what  he  had  done. 

And  the  Phar-i-sees  and  chief  priests  met  to  talk 
of  Je-sus  and  his  deeds.  They  said  it  would  not  do 
to  let  him  go  on  in  this  way,  for  he  would  raise  up 
a  host  of  friends  who  would  make  him  their  king. 
That  would  not  please  the  Ce-sar  of  Rome,  who 
would  come  and  take  Je-ru-sa-lem  from  them,  and 
drive  the  Jews  out  of  the  land. 

So  from  that  time  they  sought  out  some  way  in 
which  they  could  put  Je-sus  to  death. 

As  Je-sus  went  out  of  the  church  where  he  had 
taught  on  the  Lord's  day,  he  saw  a  wo-man  all  bent 
up  in  a  heap.  She  had  been  so  for  near  a  score  of 
years,  and  could  not  lift  her-self  up. 

Je-sus  said  to  her,  Wo-man,  thou  art  made  well. 
And  he  laid  his  hands  on  her,  and  she  rose  at  once, 
and  stood  up  straight,  and  gave  thanks  to  God 

And  the  chief  man  of  the  church  was  wroth  with 
Je-sus,  because  he  had  done  this  deed  on  the  day  of 
rest  He  said  .to  those  in  the  church,  There  are  six 
days  in  which  men  ought  to  work ;  if  you  want  to  be 
cured  come  then,  and  not  on  the  day  of  rest. 

Je-sus  spoke,  and  said,  Doth  not  each  one  of  you 
loose  his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the  stall  and  lead  him 


THE   GREAT    SUP-PER. 


344  History  of  the    New    Testament. 

off  to  drink  ?  And  if  it  is  right  to  do  for  the  ox  and 
the  ass  what  they  need,  is  it  not  right  that  this 
wom-an  should  be  made  well  on  the  day  of  rest? 

And  when  he  said  this  his  foes  hung  their  heads 
with  shame,  and  all  his  friends  were  glad  for  the 
great  deeds  that  were  done  by  him. 

One  Lord's  day  he  went  to  the  house  of  one  of 
the  chief  Phar-i-sees,  and  while  there  he  spoke  of  a 
man  who  made  a  great  feast. 

And  when  it  was  all  spread  out,  he  sent  his  ser- 
vant out  to  bid  those  come  in  whom  he  had  asked 
to  the  feast. 

And  they  all  cried  out  that  they  could  not  come. 
The  first  one  said,  I  have  bought  a  piece  of  ground, 
and  must  go  and  see  it;  so  pray  do  not  look  for  me. 

The  next  one  said,  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of 
ox-en,  and  must  go  and  try  them ;  so  pray  do  not 
look  for  me. 

The  next  one  said,  I  have  just  ta-ken  a  wife,  and 
so  can-not  come. 

So  the  ser-vant  came  back  to  the  house  and  told 
his  mas-ter  these  things.  Then  the  rich  man  was 
in  a  rage,  and  he  said  to  his  ser-vant,  Make  haste 
and  go  out  through  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  town, 
and  bring  in  the  poor,  the  lame,  and  the  halt  and 
the  blind. 

And  the  ser-van4-  did  as  he  was  told.     Then  he 


Jesus,  tke  Good  Skepkerd.  345 

came  and  said,  Lord,  I  have  done  as  thou  didst  bid 
me,  and  yet  there  is  room  for  more. 

The  lord  of  the  house  then  said,  Go  out  through 
the  high-ways,  and  down  by  the  hedge-rows,  and 
make  the  folks  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  full; 
for  none  of  those  who  were  first  called  shall  taste  of 
my  feast. 

The  man  who  spreads  the  feast  is  God.  The 
feast  is  the  good  news — that  Christ  will  save  us  from 
our  sins.  The  ser-vant  means  those  who  preach,  and 
urge  men  to  come  to  Christ.  Those  who  were  first 
bid  to  the  feast  and  would  not  come  mean  the  Jews. 
And  to  bid  the  poor,  the  lame,  and  the  blind  come 
in-to  the  feast,  means  that  the  poor  and  the  sick  are 
to  be  saved  as  well  as  the  rich  and  the  great. 

Great  crowds  drew  near  to  Je-sus,  and  he  told 
them  that  though  they  might  come  and  hear  him 
preach,  if  they  did  not  care  for  him  in  their  hearts 
they  were  not  true  friends,  and  could  not  be  of  his 
band.  They  must  care  more  for  him  than  for  all 
else  in  the  whole  world;  and  must  bear  his  cross — 
that  is,  they  must  do  what  is  right,  as  Je-sus  did. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  PRODIGAL  SON. THE    PHARISEE  AND   THE    PUBLI- 
CAN.  BABES  BROUGHT  TO  JESUS. ZACCHEUS 

CLIMBS  A   TREE, 

JE-SUS  said,  There  was  a  rich  man  who  had  two 
sons.  One  of  them  was  wild,  and  fond  of  feasts  and 
of  gay  times,  and  did  not  care  for  his  home,  or  the 
life  that  he  led  there.  So  he  went  to  his  fa-ther  and 
said,  Give  me,  I  pray  thee,  my  share  of  the  wealth 
thou  hast  laid  up  for  thine  heirs,  that  I  may  spend 
it  as  I  choose.  And  he  took  his  share,  and  went  far 
from  home,  and  led  a  gay  life. 

And  when  he  had  spent  all  he  had,  there  came 
a  dearth  in  that  land,  and  he  was  in  great  want. 

That  he  might  not  starve,  he  went  out  in  search 
of  work,  and  a  man  hired  him,  and  sent  him  in  the 
fields  to  feed  swine.  And  so  great  was  his  need  of 
some-thing  to  eat  that  he  would  have  been  glad  to 
have  had  some  of  the  coarse  food  with  which  the 
swine  were  fed,  but  none  of  the  men  gave  it  to  him. 

Then  he  said  to  him-self,  The  men  my  fa-ther 
hires  have  more  food  than  they  can  eat,  while  I 
starve  for  want  of  what  they  can  well  spare.  I  will 

346 


The  Prodigal  Son. 


347 


rise  and  go  to  my  fa-ther,  and  will  say  to  him,  Fa- 
ther, I  have  done  wrong  in  thy  sight,  and  in  the 
sight  of  God,  and  have  no  more  right  to  be  called 
thy  son.  Let  me  come 
back  to  thy  house,  and 
be  as  a  ser-vant. 

So  he  rose  and  went 
to  his  fa-ther.  And 
while  he  was  yet  a  long 
way  off  his  fa-ther  saw 
him,  and  ran  and  fell  on 
his  neck  and  kissed  him. 

And  the  son  said  to 
him,  Fa-ther  I  have 
done  wrong  in  thy  sight, 
and  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  have  no  more  right 
to  be  called  thy  son. 

But  the  fa-ther  said 
to  his  hired  men,  Bring 
forth  the  best  robe  and 
put  it  on  him,  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes 
on  his  feet.  And  bring  in  the  fat-ted  calf,  and  kill  it, 
and  let  us  eat  and  be  glad.  For  this  my  son  was  dead, 
and  now  lives ;  he  was  lost  and  is  found.  And  tears 
and  sighs  gave  place  to  smiles  and  songs  of  joy. 

Now  the  son  who  had  staid  at  home  and  kept 


THE  PROD-I-GAL'S  RE-TURN. 


348  History  of  t/ie  New    Testament. 

his  share  of  wealth  that  his  fa-ther  gave  him,  was  at 
work  in  the  field.  And  as  he  came  near  the  house 
he  heard  the  gay  sounds,  and  called  one  of  the  hired 
men  to  him  and  asked  what  it  all  meant. 

The  man  said,  Thy  broth-er  is  here,  and  thy  fa- 
ther has  made  a  feast,  so  great  is  his  joy  to  have  him 
back  safe  and  sound.  And  the  young  man  was  in 
a  rage,  and  would  not  go  in  the  house  ;  so  his  fa-ther 
came  out  and  coaxed  him. 

And  he  said  to  his  fa-ther,  For  years  and  years 
have  I  been  true  to  thee  and  broke  none  of  thy  laws. 
But  thou  didst  not  kill  a  kid  for  me  that  I  might 
make  a  feast  for  my  friends.  But  as  soon  as  this  thy 
son  was  come,  who  spent  thy  wealth  in  ways  of  sin, 
thou  didst  kill  the  fat-ted  calf  for  him. 

And  the  fa-ther  said,  My  son,  I  have  loved  thee 
all  thy  life,  and  all  that  I  own  is  the  same  as  if  it  was 
thine;  yet  it  was  right  that  we  should  be  glad  and 
sing  songs  of  joy,  for  this  thy  broth-er  was  dead  and 
now  lives;  he  was  lost  and  is  found. 

In  this  way  Je-sus  taught  those  who  found  fault 
with  him,  that  God  was  glad  to  have  men  turn  from 
their  sins  and  come  back  to  him.  He  loved  them 
in  spite  of  their  sins,  and  when  they  made  up  their 
minds  to  leave  them,  and  to  do  what  was  right,  God 
met  them  more  than  half  way,  and  g^ve  peace  and 
joy  to  their  hearts. 


The  Prodigal  Son. 


349 


A  prod-i-gal  is  one  who  wastes  all  that  he  has. 

Then  Je-sus  spoke  to  those  who  were  proud,  and 
felt  as  if  no  one 
else  was  quite  as 
good  as  they 
were.  And  he 
said,  Two  men 
went  up  in-to 
the  church  to 
pray.  One  of 
them — a  Phar- 
i-see — chose  a 
place  where  all 
could  see  him ; 
and  he  stood  up 
and  said,  God 
I  thank  thee 
that  I  am  not 
like  oth-er  men. 
I  fast  twice  a 
week,  and  I  give 
to  the  aid  of  the 
church  a  tenth 
part  of  all  I  own. 

But  the  other  man  stood  far  off,  and  bowed  his 
head,  and  beat  on  his  breast  as  he  said,  God  help 
me,  and  for-give  my  sins.  And  God  for-gave  this 


THE    PHAR-I-SEE. 


350  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

man  more  than  he  did  the  oth-er,  for  those  that  are 
proud  shall  be  brought  low,  and  those  who  are  meek 
shall  be  set  in  a  high  place. 

Then  babes  were  brought  to  Je-sus  that  he  might 
lay  his  hands  on  them  and  bless  them.  And  when 
the  twelve  saw  it,  they  tried  to  keep  them  back,  and 
would  have  sent  them  a-way. 

This  did  not  please  Je-sus,  and  he  said  to  them, 
Let  the  chil-dren  come  to  me,  and  do  not  hold  them 
back,  for  of  such  is  the  king-dom  of  God. 

He  meant  that  no  one  could  have  a  home  with 
God  who  was  not  as  good,  and  sweet,  and  pure  as  a 
young  child,  who  hates  sin,  and  loves  God  with  his 
whole  heart.  Then  Je-sus  took  the  babes  up  in 
his  arms,  and  laid  his  hands  on  them,  and  blest 
them. 

And  as  he  and  the  twelve  went  on  their  way, 
Je-sus  told  them  that  they  were  to  go  to  Je-ru-sa-lem 
that  those  things  might  be  done  to  him  of  which  the 
seers  and  proph-ets  spoke.  He  said  that  the  Jews 
would  beat  him  and  put  him  to  death,  but  that  he 
should  rise  from  the  dead  on  the  third  day. 

None  of  the  twelve  knew  what  he  meant  by 
these  things,  but  thought  he  would  set  up  his  throne 
on  earth,  and  reign  as  kings  do  in  this  world,  and 
that  each  one  of  them  would  have  a  place  of  high 
rank  near  his  throne. 


"SUV-FER   LIT-TLE  CH1L-DREN  TO  COMB  UN-TO  ME,  3  -  I 


History   of  the   New    Testament. 

When  it  was  known  that '  they  were  to  pass 
through  Jer-i-cho  a  great  crowd  came  out  to  meet 
them.  And  there  was  a  rich  man  there  who  had  a 
great  wish  to  see  Je-sus.  And  his  name  was  Zac- 
che-us.  He  was  so  small  that  he  was  quite  hid  by 
the  crowd,  and  he  was  in  great  fear  that  Je-sus 
would  pass  and  he  not  see  him.  So  he  ran  on  a- 
head  of  the  crowd ;  and  got  up  in-to  a  tree,  from 
whence  he  could  look  down  at  this  great  man  of 
whom  he  had  heard. 

And  when  Je-sus  came  to  the  place  he  raised 
his  eyes  and  saw  him,  and  said  to  him,  Zac-che-us, 
make  haste  and  come  down,  for  to-day  I  must  stay 
at  thy  house. 

And  Zac-che-us  came  down  and  went  with  Je- 
sus, and  was  glad  to  have  him  as  a  guest.  And 
there  was  quite  a  stir  in  the  crowd,  and  the  Jews 
found  fault  with  Je-sus,  and  said  that  he  had  gone  to 
be  a  guest  with  a  man  that  was  full  of  sin. 

But  Zac-che-us  told  Je-sus  that  if  he  had  done 
wrong  he  would  do  so  no  more,  but  would  try  to  be 
just  to  all  men  and  to  lead  a  good  and  pure  life. 

And  when  Je-sus  saw  that  he  meant  what  he 
said,  he  told  Zac-che-us  that  God  would  blot  out  the 
sins  of  the  past,  and  help  him  to  lead  a  new  life. 
For  he  said  that  he  had  come  to  the  world  to  seek 
those  who  had  gone  wrong,  and  were  like  lost  sheep, 


The  Feast  uj  the  Passover.  353 

and  to  save  them  and  bring  them  to  his  home  in 
the  sky,  where  there  was  no  such  thing  as  sin  or 
death. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE  FEAST  OF  THE  PASSOVER.- -THE  SUPPER  AT  BETHANY. 

Now  the  great  least  of  tne  Pass-o-ver  was  near, 
and  a  great  crowd  of  Jews  went  up  to  Je-ru-sa-lem 
to  keep  it.  It  had  been  kept  since  the  days  of  Mo- 
ses, when  God  smote  the  first-born  of  E-gypt,  and 
passed  o-ver  the  homes  of  the  Jews. 

And  those  who  were  on  the  watch  for  Je-sus  to 
do  him  harm,  said,  as  they  stood  in  the  church,  What 
think  ye?  will  he  not  come  to  the  feast?  For  the 
chief  priests  and  Phar-i-sees  had  sent  out  word  that 
those  who  knew  where  Je-sus  was  should  make  it 
known,  that  they  might  take  him. 

Now  six  days  be-fore  the  great  feast,  Je-sus  came 
to  Beth-a-ny,  where  Laz-a-rus  was  whom  he  had 
raised  from  the  dead.  Some  of  the  Jews  knew  that 
he  was  there,  and  they  came  not  so  much  to  see  Je- 
sus as  to  see  Laz-a-rus. 

And  the  chief  priests  sought  for  a  way  to  put 
Laz-a-rus  to  death,  as  some  of  the  Jews,  when  they 


354  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

saw  him  had  faith  in  Je-sus,  and  gave  their  hearts  to 
him. 

Je-sus  left  Beth-a-ny  to  go  to  Je-ru-sa-lem,  and 
on  the  way  the  mo-ther  of  Zeb-e-dee's  chil-dren 
came  to  Je-sus  and  begged  that  he  would  do  one 
thing  for  her. 

J  e-sus  said  to  her,  What  wilt  thou  ?  She  said  to 
him,  Grant  that  these  my  two  sons  may  sit,  the  one 
on  thy  right  hand,  and  the  oth-er  on  thy  left,  in  thy 
king-dom. 

Je-sus  said,  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Can  ye 
drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of,  and  bear  all  that  I 
shall  have  to  bear?  They  said,  We  can.  Je-sus 
said,  Ye  shall  drink  of  the  cup,  and  bear  the  cross, 
but  to  sit  on  my  right  hand  and  on  my  left  is  not 
mine  to  give;  but  God  gives  it  to  those  who  are  fit 
for  it. 

When  the  ten  heard  this  thev  were  wroth  with 

s 

James  and  John.  But  Je-sus  told  them  that  those 
who  sought  to  rule  would  be  made  to  serve,  and 
that  he  him-self  came  not  to  be  served  by  men  but 
to  lay  down  his  life  for  them. 

And  when  they  came  to  the  Mount  of  Ol-ives, 
Je-sus  sent  two  of  the  twelve,  and  said  to  them,  Go 
to  the  small  town  which  is  near  you,  and  you  shall 
find  there  a  colt  tied,  on  which  no  man  has  rode. 
Loose  him,  and  bring  him  to  me,  and  if  you  should 


CHRIST    AND    THE   MOTH-ER    OF    ZICB-K-I>F.t's   CHIL-DREN. 


356 


History  of  Ike  New    Testament. 


be  asked,  Why  do  ye  this  ?  Say  that  the  Lord  hath 
need  of  him,  and  he  will  be  sent  at  once. 

The  men  did 
as  J  e  -s  u  s  told 
them, and  brought 
the  young  ass  and 
put  their  robes  on 
his  back,  and  Je- 
sus sat  on  him. 

And  as  he 
went  out  on  the 
road  the  crowds 
on  their  way  to 
the  feast  spread 
their  robes  be-fore 
him,  and  strewed 
the  way  with 
green  boughs 
from  the  palm 
trees.  And  they 
waved  palms  in 
their  hands,  and 
made  the  air  ring 
with  shouts  of, 
Ho-san-na  to  the 
son  of  Da-vid !  Blest  is  he  that  comes  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord!  Ho-san-na  in  the  high-est! 


CHIL-DREN   IN   THE   TEM-PLE   CRY-ING, 
OF  DA-VID." 


HO-SAN-NA  TO  THE   SON 


THE   EN-TRY   INTO    JER-U-SA-LEM. 


358  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

This  was  the  way  in  which  they  used  to  meet 
and  greet  their  kings,  and  they  thought  to  please 
Je-sus  so  that  he  would  pay  them  back  when  he  set 
up  his  throne  on  earth.  For  the  most  of  them  did 
not  love  him  in  their  hearts. 

As  Je-sus  came  near  to  Je-ru-sa-lem  he  looked 
at  it,  and  wept  when  he  thought  of  the  grief  that  the 
Jews  were  to  know. 

And  he  taught  each  day  in  the  church  at 
Je-ru-sa-lem,  but  at  night  he  went  to  Beth-a-ny  to 
sleep. 

One  morn  as  he  was  on  his  way  back  to  Je-ru- 
sa-lem  he  saw  a  fig-tree  by  the  road  side,  and  went  to 
it  to  pluck  some  of  the  fruit.  But  he  found  on  it 
naught  but  leaves.  Then  he  said  to  it,  Let  no  more 
figs  grow  on  this  tree. 

The  next  day  when  the  twelve  went  by  they  saw 
that  the  fig-tree  was  dried  up  from  its  roots. 

And  they  thought  of  the  words  that  Je-sus  spoke, 
and  said,  How  soon  has  the  fig-tree  dried  up ! 

Je-sus  told  them  that  they  might  do  as  much  and 
more  than  he  had  done  to  the  fig-tree,  if  they  had 
faith  in  God,  and  sought  strength  from  him. 

Then  he  spoke  to  them  in  this  way :  There  was 
a  rich  man  who  laid  out  a  vine-yard,  and  dug  a  ditch 
round  it  to  keep  wild  beasts  and  thieves  a-way,  and 
made  a  wine  press,  and  let  the  place  out  to  men  who 


CHRIST  WEEP-ING  OVER  JER-U-SA-LF.M. 


360  History  of  bke  New    Testament. 

were  to  give  him  part  of  the  fruit.  Then  he  went 
off  to  a  far  land. 

When  the  time  had  come  for  the  fruit  to  be  ripe  he 
sent  one  of  his  ser-vants  to  the  men  who  had  charge 
of  the  vine-yard,  that  he  might  bring  back  his  share 
of  the  grapes. 

But  the  men  took  the  ser-vant  and  beat  him,  and 
sent  him  off  with  no  fruit  in  his  hands. 

Then  the  one  who  owned  the  place  sent  once 
more,  and  the  bad  men  threw  stones  at  this  ser-vant, 
and  hurt  him  so  in  the  head  that  he  was  like  to  die. 
The  next  one  they  killed,  and  so  things  went  on. 

Now  the  rich  man,  who  owned  the  place,  had 
but  one  son,  who  was  most  dear  to  him.  And  he 
said,  If  I  send  my  son  to  them  they  will  be  kind  to 
him,  and  treat  him  well. 

But  as  soon  as  the  bad  men  saw  him  they  said, 
This  is  the  heir;  let  us  kill  him,  and  all  that  is  his 
shall  be  ours.  And  they  took  him  and  put  him  to 
death,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vine-yard. 

The  vine-yard  is  the  world.  The  one  who  owns 
it  is  Goa.  The  bad  men  are  the  Jews;  he  had 
taught  them  his  laws,  and  they  had  vowed  to  keep 
them.  When  they  did  not  do  it,  God  sent  priests 
and  wise  men  to  try  and  make  them  do  what  was 
right.  These  were  stoned,  and  not  a  few  were  slam. 

At  last  he  sent  his  own  dear  son,  Je-sus.      Now 


The  Feast  of  the  Passover. 


361 


they  meant  to  kill  him,  as  the  bad  men  had  killed 
the  heir  of  the  vine-yard. 

When  the  Jews  heard  this  talk  they  knew  that 
Je-sus  spoke  of  them,  and 
they  were  wroth  with  him, 
and  in  haste  to  kill  him. 

One  day,  on  his  way 
out  of  the  tem-ple,  Je-sus 
sat  down  near  the  box  in 
which  mon-ey  was  put  for 
the  use  of  the  church. 
And  he  saw  that  the  rich 
put  in  large  sums.  And 
there  came  a  poor  wid-ow 
who  threw  in  two  mites, 
which  make  a  far-thing, 
or  the  fourth  of  a  pen-ny. 

Je-sus  said  to  the 
twelve,  This  poor  wid-ow  has  cast  in  more  than  all 
the  rest.  For  they  had  so  much  they  did  not  miss 
what  they  gave ;  while  she,  who  was  poor  and  in 
want,  did  cast  in  all  that  she  had. 


THE    WID-OW'S     MITE. 


CHAPTER   XVJ. 

PARABLES. 

A  PAR-A-BLE  is  a  sto-ry  of  some-thing  in  real  life 
that  will  fix  in  our  minds  and  hearts  the  truth  it  is 
meant  to  teach. 

Je-sus  said  the  king-dom  of  heav-en  was  like  the 
mas-ter  of  a  house  who  went  out  at  morn  to  hire 
men  to  work  in  his  vine-yard. 

The  price  was  fixed  at  a  pen-ny  a  day,  and  those 
who  would  work  for  that  were  sent  out  to  the  vine- 
yard. 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  day  he  went  out  and  saw 
men  in  the  mar-ket  place  who  were  out  of  work, 
and  he  said  to  them,  Go  ye  to  the  vine-yard,  and  I 
will  pay  you  what  is  right.  And  they  went  their 
way. 

He  went  out  at  noon,  and  at  three  o'clock,  and 
found  more  men  whom  he  sent  to  work  in  his  vine- 
yard. Later  in  the  day,  when  it  was  near  six 
o'clock,  he  went  out  and  saw  more  men,  to  whom  he 
said,  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  i-dle? 

They  said  to  him,  Be-cause  no  man  has  hired  us. 

362 


Parables. 


363 


He  said,  Go  ye  in-to  the  vine-yard,  and  what  is 
right  I  will  give  thee. 

So  when  night  came,  the  lord  of  the  vine-yard 
had    the   work-men 
called  in,  and  each  onej 
was  paid  a  pen-ny. 

When    the   first! 
came  they   thought 
they    should    have! 
more,  and  when  they 
were  paid  but  a  pen- 
ny they  found    fault, 
and   said,   These  last 
have  wrought  but  one! 
hour,  and    thou    hast 
paid  them  the    same 
as  us  who  have  born 
the    toil    and  heat  of 
the  day. 

The  mas-ter  said, 
Friend,  I  do  thee  no 
wrong.  Didst  thou 
not  say  thou  wouldst 
work  for  me  for  a 
pen-ny  a  day?  Take  what  is  thine,  and  go  thy  way; 
for  I  have  a  right  to  do  as  I  will  with  mine  own. 
And  the  last  shall  be  first  and  the  first  last. 


LA-BOR-ERS   IN   THE  VINE-YARD. 


364  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Je-sus  told  them  a  par-a-ble  of  ten  maids  who 
went  out  to  meet  the  bride-groom.  For  in  those 
days  the  man  who  was  wed  brought  his  bride  home 
at  night,  and  some  of  his  friends  used  to  go  out  to 
meet  him. 

These  ten  maids  had  lit  their  lamps,  and  gone 
out  to  meet  the  bride-groom.  But  he  did  not  come 
as  soon  as  they  thought  he  would,  and  as  the  hours 
went  on  they  all  fell  a-sleep. 

Now  five  of  these  maids  were  wise,  and  five  were 
not.  The  wise  ones  had  brought  oil  with  them,  so 
that  if  their  lamps  should  go  out  they  could  fill  them. 
Those  who  were  not  wise  had  no  oil  but  that  which 
was  in  their  lamps. 

At  mid-night  those  who  were  on  the  watch  cried 
outr  Lo,  the  bride-groom  comes!  Go  ye  out  to  meet 
him. 

And  the  five  wise  maids  rose  at  once,  and  went 
to  work  to  trim  their  lamps. 

The  five  who  were  not  wise,  stood  by  and  said. 
Give  us  of  your  oil,  for  our  lamps  have  gone  out. 

But  the  wise  ones  said,  Not  so;  for  we  have  no 
more  than  we  need.  Go  ye  and  buy  of  those  who 
have  oil  to  sell. 

And  while  they  went  out  to  buy,  the  bride-groom 
came,  and  those  who  were  in  trim  went  in  with  him, 
and  the  door  was  shut. 


Parables. 


Then  the  five  maids  who  had  been  out  to  buy 
oil  came  to  the  door,  and  cried  out,  Lord,  Lord,  let 
us  in.  But  he  said.  I  do  not  know  you;  and 
would  not  let  them 
in. 

The  bride-groom 
means  Je-sus,  who  is 
to  come  at  the  last 
day.  The  ten  maids 
are  those  who  claim 
to  love  him,  and  who 
set  out  to  meet  him 
on  that  day.  The 
oil  is  the  love  in  our 
hearts,  which  burns 
and  keeps  our  faith 
bright.  We  are  to 
watch  and  wait  for 
him,  for  we  know 
not  the  day  nor  the 
hour  when  he  will 


THE   FOOL-ISH    VIR-GINS. 


come. 

Je-sus  came  to 
the  town  of  Beth-a-ny,  and  they  made  a  sup-per  for 
him  there.  In  those  days  they  did  not  sit  at  their 
meals  on  chairs  as  we  do,  but  lay  down  on  a  couch, 
or  lounge,  as  high  as  the  ta-ble,  so  that  they  could 


366  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

rest  on  the  left  arm,  and  have  the  right  hand  and 
arm  free  to  use. 

Mar-tha,  Ma-ry,  and  Laz-a-rus  were  there,  and 
while  Je-sus  sat  at  meat  Ma-ry  came  with  a  flask  of 
rich  oil,  that  was  worth  a  great  price.  And  she  broke 
the  flask  and  poured  the  oil  on  the  head  of  Je-sus. 

And  there  were  some  there  who  found  fault  with 
this  great  waste,  and  Ju-das — one  of  the  twelve — said 
that  the  oil  might  have  been  sold  for  a  large  sum 
that  would  have  done  the  poor  much  good. 

Je-sus  said,  Blame  her  not.  She  has  done  a  good 
work  on  me.  For  the  poor  you  have  with  you 
all  the  time,  and  you  may  do  them  good  when  you 
choose.  But  you  will  not  have  me  al-ways. 

Then  Ju-das  went  to  the  chief  priests  and  said, 
What  will  you  give  me  if  I  bring  you  to  the  place 
where  Je-sus  is,  so  that  you  may  take  him?  They 
said  they  would  pay  him  well.  And  from  that  time 
he  was  on  the  watch  to  catch  Je-sus  a-lone. 

Je-sus  said,  There  was  a  rich  man,  who  wore  fine 
clothes,  and  had  great  feasts  spread  for  him  each 
day.  And  a  beg-gar  named  Laz-a-rus  lay  at  his 
gate,  full  of  sores;  but  the  rich  man  gave  him  not  so 
much  as  a  crumb.  And  the  dogs  came  and  licked 
his  sores. 

The  beg-gar  died,  and  was  borne  by  the  an-gels 
to  A-bra-ham's  bo-som.  The  rich  man  died  and  was 


Parables. 


367 


laid  in  the  ground.  And  while  in  the  pains  of  hell 
he  raised  his  eyes  and  saw  A-bra-ham  with  Laz-a-rus 
on  his  bo-som,  and  he  cried  and  said,  Fa-thef  A-bra- 
ham,  have  mer- 
cy on  me,  and 
send  Laz-a-rus 
that  he  may  dip 
the  tip  of  his  fin- 
ger in  wa-ter 
and  cool  my 
tongue,  for  this 
flame  tor-ments 
me. 

But  A-bra- 
ham  said,  Son, 
thou  in  thy  life- 
time  had  thy 
good  things, 
while  Laz-a-rus 
was  poor  and 
had  a  hard  lot. 
Now  he  has 
ease  from  all  his 
pains  and  thou 
art  in  tor-ments.  And  be-tween  us  and  you  there 
is  a  great  gulf;  none  can  go  from  here  to  you,  nor 
come  from  you  to  us. 


THE    RICH    MAN    AND    THE    BEG-GAR. 


368  History  of  the  New   Testament, 

Then  the  rich  man  said,  I  pray  thee  then  send 
him  to  my  fa-ther's  house,  for  I  have  five  breth-ren, 
that  he  may  speak  to  them,  so  that  they  come  not  to 
this  place  of  tor-ment. 

A-bra-ham  said,  They  have  Mo-ses  and  the 
proph-ets,  let  them  hear  them. 

And  the  rich  man  said,  Nay,  fa-ther  A-bra-ham; 
but  if  one  went  to  them  from  the  dead  they  will  turn 
from  their  sins. 

And  he  said  to  him,  If  they  hear  not  Mo-ses  and 
the  proph-ets  they  will  not  turn  from  their  sins 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead. 

A  stew-ard  is  one  who  takes  charge  of  a  house  or 
lands,  pays  bills,  hires  work-men,  and  is  the  mas- 
ter's right-hand  man. 

Je-sus  said,  There  was  a  rich  man  who  had  a 
stew-ard.  And  word  was  brought  to  him  that  this 
stew-ard  made  a  bad  use  of  his  mas-ter's  wealth.  So 
the  rich  man  said  to  him,  What  is  this  that  I  hear 
of  thee?  Let  me  know  how  thou  hast  done  thy 
work,  if  thou  wouldst  keep  thy  place. 

The  stew-ard  said  to  him-self,  What  shall  I  do 
if  my  lord  takes  my  place  from  me  ?  I  can-not  dig, 
and  am  too  proud  to  beg.  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  do  some-thing  that  will  put  me  on  good 
terms  with  the  rich,  so  that  they  will  not  close  their 
doors  to  me  should  I  lose  my  place  here  as  stew-ard. 


Parables. 

So  he  sent  for  all  those  who  were  in  debt  to  his 
lord.  And  he  said  to  the  first,  How  much  dost  thou 
owe?  And  he  said,  A  hun-dred  mea-sures  of  oil. 
The  stew-ard  said, 
Take  thy  bill,  and  sit 
down  and  write  fif-ty. 

Then  said  he  to 
the  next  one,  How 
much  dost  thou  owe? 
The  man  said,  A 
hun-dred  mea-sures  of 
wheat.  The  stew-ard 
said  to  him,  Take  thy 
bill,  and  write  four- 
score. 

And  the  lord 
praised  the  un-just 
stew-ard,  for  he 
thought  he  had  done 
a  wise  thing. 

Je-sus  said  we  were 
to    use   our  wealth  so 
as  to  make  friends  who  will  take  us  in  their  homes 
should  we  be-come  poor. 

He  that  is  faith-ful  in  small  things  is  faith-ful  al- 
so in  large  ones.  And  he  that  is  un-just  in  the 
least,  is  un-just  in  much  more. 


THE    UN-JUST    STEW-ARD. 


370  History  of  the  New    Testament^ 

No  man  can  serve  two  mas-ters. 

As  Je-sus  drew  near  to  Je-ru-sa-lem  those  who 
were  with  him  thought  that  the  king-dom  he  spoke 
of  was  close  at  hand. 

He  said  to  them,  A  rich  man  had  to  go  to  a  far 
land,  so  he  called  his  ten  ser-vants  that  he  might 
leave  his  goods  in  their  charge.  To  the  first  one  he 
gave  five  tal-ents.  A  tal-ent  is  a  large  sum  in  sil-ver. 
To  the  next  he  gave  two  tal-ents ;  and  to  the  third 
one.  And  he  said  to  them,  Make  a  good  use  of 
these  gifts  till  I  come  back;  and  then  went  on  his 
way. 

Then  he  that  had  five  tal-ents  went  out  and 
bought  and  sold  and  made  five  tal-ents  more.  And 
the  one  that  had  two  did  the  same.  But  he  that 
had  one  dug  a  hole  in  the  earth  and  hid  his  lord's 
mon-ey. 

When  the  rich  man  came  back  he  sent  for  his 
ser-vants  that  they  might  tell  him  what  they  had  done 
while  he  was  gone.  So  he  that  had  had  five  tal-ents 
came  and  said,  Lord,  thou  didst  give  me  five  tal- 
ents, and  see — I  have  gained  five  more. 

His  lord  said  to  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faith- 
ful ser-vant,  thou  hast  been  faith-ful  o-ver  a  few 
things,  I  will  make  thee  ru-ler  o-ver  ma-ny  things; 
en-ter  thou  in-to  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 

Then  he  that  had  two  tal-ents  came  and  said, 


Parables. 


Lord,  thou  didst  give  me  two  tal-ents  and   I  have 
gained  two  more. 

His  lord  said  to  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faith- 
ful ser-vant, 
thou  hast  been 
faith-ful  o-ver 
a  few  things, 
I  will  make 
theeru-ler  o-ver 
many  things; 
en-terthouin-to 
the  joy  of  thy 
lord. 

Then  he 
who  had  but 
the  one  tal-ent 
came  and  said, 
Lord,  I  knew 
that  thou  wert 
a  hard  man, 
and  didst  reap 
where  thou 
hast  not  sown, 
and  gleaned 
where  thou 
hast  not  strewn ;  and,  for  fear  I  should  lose  it.  I  hid 
thy  tal-ent  in  the  earth,  and  here  it  is. 


THE    TAL-ENTS. 


372  History  of  the   New    Testament. 

His  lord  said,  Thou  wick-ed  and  la-zy  ser-vant, 
if  thou  didst  know  me  to  be  such  a  harsh  man  thou 
shouldst  have  lent  my  mo-ney  to  those  who  would  pay 
for  its  use,  so  that  when  I  came  back  I  should  have 
my  own  and  more  with  it.  Take  there-fore  the  one 
tal-ent  from  him  and  give  it  to  him  that  hath  ten  tal- 
ents. For  to  him  that  hath  much  shall  more  be  giv- 
en ;  but  from  him  that  hath  not,  shall  be  ta-ken 
a-way  all  that  he  hath.  And  cast  ye  the  use-less 
ser-vant  in-to  out-er  dark-ness,  where  shall  be  weep- 
ing and  gnash-ing  of  teeth. 

Christ  meant  to  teach  by  this  that  we  were  to 
make  use  of  the  gifts  or  tal-ents  that  God  gave 
us,  and  add  to  them  as  much  as  we  could.  Then 
when  we  die  God  will  say  to  us,  Well  done,  and 
bid  us  share  in  the  joy  that  our  lord  has  in  store 
for  us. 

If  we  have  but  one  gift  we  must  use  that  and 
serve  God  with  it,  or  at  the  last  day  he  will  take  that 
from  us,  and  we  shall  have  no  part  in  the  joy  of  our 
lord. 

Je-sus  said,  The  good  news  is  like  a  king  who 
made  a  wed-ding  feast  for  his  son.  And  he  sent  his 
ser-vants  to  call  in  those  who  were  bid  to  the  feast. 
But  they  would  not  come.  Then  he  sent  out  more 
ser-vants  to  urge  them  to  come  to  the  wed-ding. 
But  they  made  light  of  it,  and  went  their  ways,  to 


Parables. 


373 


their  farms  or  shops;  and  some  fell  on  the  king's  ser- 
vants and  slew  them. 

When  the  king  heard  of  this  he  was  wroth,  and 
he  said  to  his 
ser-vants,  Go 
ye  out  to  the 
high-ways  and 
bring  in  to  the 
wed-ding  those 
ye  find  there. 

And  the 
ser-vants  did 
so,  and  brought 
in  both  bad  and 
good,  so  there 
was  no  lack  of 
guests  at  the 
wed-ding. 

When  the 
king  came  in  to 
see  the  guests, 
he  saw  there  a 
man  who  had 
not  on  a  wed- 


WED-DING   GAR-MENT. 


ding  gar-ment. 
And  he  said  to  him,  Friend,  why  art  thou  here  with- 
out a  wed-ding  gar-ment.     And  the  man  spoke  not. 


374 


History  of  the  New    Testament. 


Then  said  the  king  to  the  ser-vants,  Bind  him 
hand  and  foot  and  take  him  off,  and  cast  him  in-to 

out-er  dark-ness.  For 
ma-ny  are  called  but 
few  are  cho-sen. 

God  is  the  king 
who  made  the  feast 
for  Je-sus  Christ,  his 
son,  to  which  all  are 
bid.  The  wed-ding 
gar-ment  we  need  is 
a  true  heart,  full  of 
love  to  Je-sus.  The 
good  news  is  for  all, 
yet  those  who  think 
more  of  this  world 
than  they  do  of  heav- 
en, Christ  does  not 
choose  for  his  own, 
and  they  are  lost. 

Je-sus  said  the 
good  news  is  like  un-to  leav-en  or  yeast,  which  a 
wo-man  took  and  hid  in  some  meal  till  the  whole  of 
it  was  light. 


LEAV-EN. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

I 

THE    LORD'S  SUPPER. JESUS  IN  GETHSEMANE. THE 

JUDAS  KISS. PETER  DENIES  JESUS. 

Now  the  day  was  come  when  the  Jews  were  to 
keep  the  feast  of  the  pass-o-ver.  To  do  this  each 
man  took  a  lamb  to  the  church,  and  killed  it  on  the 
al-tar.  The  priest  would  burn  the  fat,  but  the  rest  of 
the  lamb  the  man  took  home,  and  it  was  cooked,  and 
he  and  his  folks  atexDf  it  in  the  night. 

The  twelve  came  to  Je-sus  to  ask  him  at  what 
place  they  should  set  out  their  feast.  For  they  had 
no  house  or  home  of  their  own. 

Je-sus  sent  forth  two  of  them  and  said,  Go  ye  to 
Je-ru-sa-lem,  and  there  shall  meet  you  a  man  with  a 
jug  of  wa-ter.  Go  to  the  house  where  he  goes,  and 
sav  to  the  man  who  lives  there,  The  mas-ter  bids 
thee  show  us  the  room  where  he  shall  come  to  eat 
the  feast  with  his  friends. 

And  he  will  show  you  a  large  room,  up-stairs; 
there  spread  the  feast. 

The  men  did  as  Je-sus  told  them,  and  the  man 
showed  them  the  room,  and  there  they  spread  the 
feast. 

And    at    night     Je-sus    came    with    his     twelve 

375 


376  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

friends.      And  as  they  did  eat,  Je-sus  said,  There  is 
one  here  who  will  give  me  up  to  the  Jews. 

These  words  made  them  all  feel  sad. 

Now  there  was  one  of  the  twelve  of  whom  Je-sus 
was  most  fond.  His  name  was  John.  And  as  he 
lay  with  his  head  on  Je-sus'  breast  he  said  to  him, 
Lord,  who  is  it  ? 

Je-sus  said,  It  is  he  to  whom  I  shall  give  the 
piece  of  bread  I  dip  in  the  dish. 

And  when  he  had  dipped  the  bread  he  gave  it 
to  Ju-das.  And  he  said  to  him,  What  is  in  thy 
heart  to  do,  do  at  once. 

Now  none  of  the  rest  knew  why  Je-sus  spoke 
thus.  But  as  Ju-das  had  charge  of  the  bag  in  which 
the  mon-ey  was  kept,  some  of  them  thought  'hat  he 
bade  him  buy  things  they  were  in  need  of,  or  give 
some-thing  to  the  poor.  Then  Ju-das  went  out  of 
the  house  where  Je-sus  and  his  friends  were;  and  it 
was  night. 

And  when  he  had  gone,  Je-sus  said  to  them,  I 
shall  be  with  you  but  a  short  time.  But  ere  I  go  a 
new  law  I  give  to  you — the  law  of  love.  As  I  have 
loved  you  so  shall  ye  love  each  oth-er.  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  ye  loye  me. 

Pe-ter  said,  Lord,  where  dost  thou  go? 

Je-sus  said,  Where  I  go  thou  canst  not  come  now, 
but  thou  shalt  be  with  me  by-and-by. 


The  Lord's  Supper. 


377 


Pe-ter  said,   Lord,  why  can-not   I  go  with  thee 
now?  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thy  sake? 

Je-sus  said, 
I  tell  thee,  Pe- 
ter, the  cock 
shall  not  crow 
thrice  till  thou 
hast  sworn 
thrice  that  thou 
dost  not  know 


me. 

And  as  they 
did  eat  Je-sus 
took  the  bread 
and  gave 
thanks  and 
broke  it,  and 
gave  to  them, 
and  said,  Take 
and  eat. 

Then  he 
took  some  wine 
in  a  cup,  and 
when  he  had 
thanked  God, 
he  gave  it  to  them  and  they  all  drank  of  it. 

And  he  told  them  that  when  he  was  dead  they 


PRAY-ING    IN    THE   GAR-DEN. 


378  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

must  meet  from  time  to  time,  and  eat  the  bread  and 
drink  the  wine  in  the  same  way  that  he  had  shown 
them;  and  as  often  as  they  did  it  they  were  to  think 
of  him,  and  the  death  that  he  died  to  save  men  from 
their  sins. 

Je-sus  spoke  with  them  for  some  time.  Then  a 
hymn  was  sung  and  they  all  went  from  the  house, 
and  came  to  the  Mount  of  Ol-ives.  And  they  went 
to  a  gar-den  there,  known  as  Geth-sem-a-ne.  And 
Je-sus  took  with  him  Pe-ter,  James,  and  John,  and 
said  to  them,  Sit  ye  here  and  watch  with  me  while 
I  go  and  pray.  And  he  went  from  them  a  short 
way,  and  knelt  down  and  prayed.  And  when  he 
thought  how  soon  he  was  to  be  put  to  death  for  our 
sins,  he  was  in  such  grief  and  pain  that  the  sweat 
seemed  like  great  drops  of  blood  as  it  fell  to  the 
ground.  And  God  sent  an  an-gel  to  calm  him  and 
give  him  strength. 

And  when  he  rose  from  his  knees  and  went  back 
to  where  his  friends  were,  he  found  that  they  slept. 
And  he  said  to  Pe-ter,  What,  couldst  thou  not  watch 
with  me  one  hour? 

And  he  went  off  to  pray  once  more.  And  when 
he  came  back,  his  friends  still  slept !  And  he  left 
them  and  came  back  a  third  time.  Then  he  said, 
Rise  up  and  let  us  go,  for  the  worst  of  my  foes  is 
close  at  hand. 


379 


380  History    of  the   New    Testament. 

Now  Ju-das  had  been  on  the  watch,  and  knew 
when  Je-sus  went  to  the  gar-den.  And  as  it  was 
dark  he  thought  it  would  be  the  best  time  to  give 
him  up  to  the  Jews.  So  he  went  to  the  chief  priests 
and  told  them,  and  they  sent  a  band  of  men  out  with 
him  to  take  Je-sus. 

Je-sus,  who  knew  all  things,  knew  that  Ju-das 
was  near,  yet  he  did  not  flee. 

Ju-das  had  told  the  band  that  he  would  give  them 
a  sign  by  which  they  might  know  which  was  Je-sus. 
He  said,  The  one  I  shall  kiss,  is  he;  take  him,  and 
hold  him  fast.  Then  he  came  to  Je-sus  and  gave 
him  a  kiss. 

And  the  men  laid  their  hands  on  Je-sus  and  took 
him.  His  friends  who  were  near  him  said  to  him, 
Lord,  shall  we  fight  them  with  the  sword  ? 

Pe-ter  who  had  a  sword  struck  one  of  the  band 
and  cut  off  his  ear. 

Je-sus  said  to  him,  Put  thy  sword  back  in  its 
sheath.  Could  I  not  pray  to  God  to  send  me  a  host 
of  an-gels  to  fight  for  me  and  save  me  from  death  ? 
But  how  then  could  the  words  of  wise  men  come 
true?  Then  Je-sus  touched  the  man's  ear  and  made 
it  well.  And  he  said  to  those  who  took  him,  Have 
ye  come  out  with  swords  and  staves  as  if  I  were  a 
thief,  to  take  me?  I  sat  from  day  to  day  and  taught 
you  in  the  church,  and  you  did  not  harm  me. 


Tke  Lords  Supper.  ^3r 

Then  Pe-ter,  James  and  John,  and  the  rest,  were 
in  great  fear,  and  fled  from  him. 

The  men  that  took  Je-sus  led  him  off  to  the 
house  of  the  high  priest,  where  the  scribes  and 
those  who  had  charge  of  the  church  had  all  met. 

Pe-ter  kept  up  with  the  crowd  and  went  in  a  side 
door  of  the  house  to  sit  by  the  fire.  And  one  of  the 
maids  of  the  high  priest  came  to  him,  and  said,  Thou 
wast  with  Je-sus.  But  he  said,  I  know  not  what  you 
mean. 

Then  he  went  out  on  the  porch  and  the  cock 
crew.  While  there  a  maid  said  to  those  who  stood 
near,  This  one  was  with  Je-sus. 

And  Pe-ter  said  once  more  that  he  did  not  know 
him.  And  the  cock  crew  once  more. 

Now  it  chanced  that  one  of  the  high  priest's  men 
was  a  kins-man  of  the  one  whose  ear  Pe-ter  had  cut 
off.  And  he  said  to  him,  Did  I  not  see  thee  in  the 
gar-den  with  him? 

Pe-ter  swore  that  he  was  not  there,  and  did  not 
know  the  man.  And  Je-sus  gave  him  a  look  as  he 
went  by,  that  was  like  a  stab  in  Pe-ter's  heart.  For 
then  the  cock  crew  for  the  third  time,  and  it  came  to 
Pe-ter's  mind  what  Je-sus  had  said, — Ere  the  cock 
crow  thrice,  thou  shalt  de-ny  me  thrice.  And  he 
went  out  and  wept  as  if  his  heart  would  break,  so 
great  was  his  grief  and  shame. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CHRIST    BEFORE    PILATE. ON    THE    CROSS. 

THE  chief  court  of  the  Jews  met  in  a  room  near 
the  church,  and  was  made  up  of  three-score  and  ten 
men.  The  high  priest  and  chief  priests  were  there, 
and  the  scribes,  and  head  men  of  the  church,  and 
it  was  for  them  to  say  what  should  be  done  to  those 
who  broke  the  laws  of  Mo-ses;  some  of  whom  had 
to  pay  fines,  or  to  be  shut  up  in  jail.  But  if  a  man 
was  to  be  put  to  death  tkey  had  to  ask  the  chief 
whom  the  Ce-sar  of  Rome  had  set  to  rule  in  that  part 
of  the  land  if  he  would  let  the  deed  be  done. 

It  was  night  when  the  Jews  took  Je-sus,  and  as 
soon  as  it  was  day  they  brought  him  in-to  court  to 
have  him  tried.  The  high  priest  said  to  him,  Art 
thou  the  Christ?  tell  us. 

Je-sus  said,  If  I  tell  you,  ye  will  not  think  I 
speak  the  truth. 

Then  they  all  said,  Art  thou  the  son  of  God? 

And  he  said,  I  am. 

Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes,  and  said, 
By  his  own  words  we  can  judge  him.  What  do  you 
say  shall  be  done  to  him  ?  And  they  all  cried  out, 

Let  him  be  put  to  death ! 

382 


Christ  Before  Pilate.  383 

Then  they  spit  in  his  face,  and  struck  Je-sus  with 
the  palms  of  their  hands.  And  they  bound  him  and 
led  him  blind-fold  to  Pi-late's  house,  and  told  Pi-late 
some  of  the  things  he  had  said  and  done. 

Pi-late  said  to   Je-sus,  Art  thou  a  king?     Je-sus 


"  BE-HOLD   THE  MAN." 


said,  I  am.     But  my  realm  is  not  of  this  world,  else 
would  my  men  have  fought  to  set  me  free. 

Pi-late  said,  I  find  no  fault  with  this  man.  And 
the  Jews  were  more  fierce,  and  cried  that  his  words 
had  made  a  great  stir  in  all  the  land  from  Gal-i-lee 


384  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

to  that  place.  Pi-late  said,  if  he  came  from  Gal-i- 
lee  they  must  take  him  to  He-rod,  who  ruled  that 
part  of  the  land.  And  He-rod  was  in  Je-ru-sa-lem 
at  that  time. 

When  He-rod  saw  Je-sus  he  was  glad,  for  he 
had  heard  much  of  him,  and  was  in  hopes  to  see 
some  great  things  done  by  him.  But  when  He-rod 
spoke  to  Je-sus,  Je-sus  said  not  one  word.  And  the 
chief  priests  and  scribes  stood  by,  and  cried  out  that 
he  claimed  to  be  king  of  the  Jews,  and  the  son  of 
God,  and  had  taught  men  that  they  need  not  keep 
the  laws  of  Mo-ses  or  of  Rome.  These  were  crimes 
for  which  he  ought  to  be  put  to  death. 

So  He-rod  and  his  men  of  war  made  sport  of 
Je-sus,  and  put  on  him  a  robe  such  as  kings  wear; 
for  he  had  said  he  was  a  king.  And  then  He-rod 
sent  him  back  to  Pi-late. 

Pi-late  said,  I  find  no  fault  in  this  man  ;  nor  does 
He-rod,  for  I  sent  you  to  him;  he  has  done  naught 
for  which  he  should  be  put  to  death. 

Now  it  was  the  rule  when  this  great  feast  was 
held,  that  one  of  those  who  were  shut  up  in  jail 
should  be  set  free.  And  at  this  time  there  was  a 
Jew  there,  whose  name  was  Ba-rab-bas  ;  and  he  had 
killed  some  one. 

Pi-late  said,  Which  one  shall  I  set  free — Ba-rab- 
bas,  or  Je-sus,  who  is  called  Christ? 


PI-I.ATK    WASH-INT.    HIS    HANDS. 


386  Historv  of  the  New    Testament. 

While  Pi-late  spoke,  his  wife  sent  word  to  him 
to  do  no  harm  to  that  just  man,  for  she  had  had  a 
strange  dream  a-bout  him.  But  the  chief  priests 
urged  the  mob  to  ask  that  Ba-rab-bas  be  set  free. 

Pi-late  said,  What  then  shall  I  do  with  Je-sus, 
who  is  called  Christ? 

They  cried  out,  Hang  him!   Hang  him! 

When  Pi-late  saw  that  he  could  not  get  them  to 
ask  for  Je-sus,  he  took  some  wa-ter  and  washed  his 
hands  in  full  view  of  the  mob,  and  said,  I  am  not  to 
blame  for  the  death  of  this  just  man ;  see  ye  to  it. 

Then  the  Jews  said,  Let  his  blood  be  on  us  and 
on  our  chil-dren. 

But  Pi-late  was  to  blame  for  Je-sus'  death;  for  he 
gave  him  up  to  the  Jews  that  he  might  please  them, 
and  keep  the  place  that  he  had. 

Now  it  was  the  law  of  the  land  that  a  man  should 
be  scourged  ere  he  was  hung.  So  Je-sus  was  stripped 
to  the  waist,  and  his  hands  were  bound  to  a  low 
post  in  front  of  him  so  as  to  make  him  stoop,  and 
while  he  stood  in  this  way  he  was  struck  with  rods, 
or  a  whip  of  cords,  till  the  blood  burst  through  the 
skin. 

Then  Pilate's  men  of  war  led  him  to  a  room,  and 
took  off  his  own  robe,  and  put  on  him  one  of  a  red 
and  blue  tint.  Then  they  made  a  crown  of  thorns 
and  put  it  on  his  head;  and  they  put  a  reed  in  his 


Christ  Before  Pilate. 


right  hand. 
Then  they 
bowed  down 
to  him,  as  if  he 
were  a  king, 
and  mocked  at 
him  and  said, 
Hail,  King  of 
the  J  ews  ! 
And  they  spat 
on  him,  and 
took  the  reed 
andstruckhim 
on  the  head, 
and  smote  him 
with  their 
hands. 

When  Ju- 
das saw  that 
Je-sus  was  to 
be  put  to  death, 
he  was  in  great 
grief  to  think 
he had  brought 
such  a  fate  on 
one  who  had 
done  no  wrong.  And  he  took  back  to  the  chief  priests 


BE-HOLD  THE  MAN. 


388  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

the  sum  they  had  paid  him,  and  he  said  to  them,  I  have 
done  a  great  sm  to  give  up  to  you  one  who  had  done  no 

wrong.     They  said  to  him,  What  is  that  to  us?    See 

j  .• .  -. 
thou  to  that.     Then  Ju-das  threw  down  the  sil-ver, 

and  went  out  and  hung  him-self. 

Then  the  men  of  war  took  off  the  gay  robe  from 
Je-sus,  and  put  his  own  clothes  on  him  and  led  him 
out  to  put  him  to  death. 

They  met  a  man  named  Si-mon,  and  made  him 
bear  the  cross.  And  a  great  crowd  of  men  and  wo- 
men went  with  them  who  wept  and  mourned  for 
Je-sus.  Je-sus  told  them  not  to  weep  for  him,  but 
for  them-selves  and  their  chil-dren,  be-cause  of  the 
woes  that  were  to  come  on  the  Jews. 

They  brought  him  to  a  place  called  Cal-va-ry, 
not  far  from  the  gates  of  Je-ru-sa-lem.  And  they 
nailed  his  feet  and  hands  to  the  cross,  which  was 
then  set  up  in  the  ground.  And  all  the  while  Je-sus 
prayed,  Fa-ther  for-give  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do.  He  meant  that  they  did  not  know  how 
great  was  their  sin;  nor  that  they  had  in  truth  put  to 
death  the  son  of  God.  With  him  they  hung  two 
thieves,  one  on  his  right  hand,  and  one  on  his  left. 

Then  they  sat  down  to  watch  Je-sus,  who  hung  for 
hours  on  the  cross  in  great  pain,  ere  his  death  came 
to  him.  And  they  took  his  robes  and  gave  each 
one  a  share;  but  for  his  coat  they  cast  lots.  And 


m 


CHRIST    CAK-KY-1NU    HIS    CROSS. 


39° 


History  of  the  New   Testament. 


at  the  top  of  the  cross  Pi-late  had  put  up  these  words : 

JE-SUS  OF  NAZ-A-RETH,   KING  OF  THE  JEWS. 

And  the  Jews  as  they  went  by  shook  their  heads 

at  him,  and  said,  If  thou  be  the  son  of  God  come  down 

fpom  the  cross,  and  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes 

mocked  him 
and  said,  His 
trust  was  in 
God ;  let  God 
save  him  now  if 
he  will  have 
him. 

One  of  the 
thieves  spoke  to 
Je-sus  and  said, 
If  thou  art  the 
Christ  save  thy- 
self and  us. 

But  the  oth- 
er said,  Dost 
thou  not  fear 
God  when  thou 
art  so  soon  to  die?  It  is  right  that  we  should  die 
for  our  sins,  but  this  man  has  done  no  wrong.  And 
he  said  to  Je-sus,  Think  of  me  when  thou  art  on  thy 
throne.  Je-sus  said  to  him,  This  day  shalt  thou  be 
with  me  where  God  is. 


CHRIST  ON  CAL-VA-RY. 


THE   CRU-CI-FIX-ION. 


391 


392  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Now  there  stood  near  the  cross  of  Je-sus  his  mo- 
ther, and  John — the  one  of  the  twelve  most  dear  to 
him.  And  he  bade  John  take  care  of  his  mo-ther, 
and  told  her  to  look  on  John  as  her  son.  And  John 
took  her  to  his  own  home  to  take  care  of  her  and 
give  her  all  that  she  had  need  of. 

From  the  sixth  to  the  ninth  hour — that  is,  from 
twelve  to  three  o'clock — the  sky  was  dark  in  all  the 
land.     And  Je-sus  thought  that  God  had  turned  his 
face  from  him.     And  he  cried  out  with  aloud  voice 
O  God  !  O  God !  why  hast  thou  left  me  ? 

One  of  the  men  near  thought  he  was  in  pain,  and 
he  took  a  sponge  and  dipped  it  in  the  gall,  and  put 
it  up  on  a  reed  to  his  mouth,  so  that  Je-sus  might 
drink.  Je-sus  wet  his  lips  with  the  drink  that  was 
to  ease  his  pain,  then  spoke  once  more,  bowed  his 
head  and  died. 

Then  the  veil  which  hung  in  the  church,  in  front 
of  the  ark,  was  torn  in  two;  the  earth  shook;  the 
rocks  were  split ;  the  graves  gave  up  their  dead,  and 
those  who,  while  they  lived,  had  served  the  Lord, 
rose  and  came  out  of  their  graves  and  went  in-to  Je- 
ru-sa-lem  and  were  seen  there. 

When  those  who  had  kept  watch  of  Je-sus  as  he 
hung  on  the  cross,  saw  these  things  that  were  done, 
they  were  in  great  fear,  and  said,  There  is  no  doubt 
that  this  man  was  the  son  of  God. 


LAY-ING   IN    TUB    IUMB. 


393 


394 


History  of  the  New   Testament. 


As  night  came  on  the  Jews  went  to  Pi-late  and 
begged  him  to  kill  Je-sus  and  the  two  thieves  so  that 

they  could  be  put 
in  their  graves. 
For  it  would  not 
do  for  them  to 
hang  on  the  cross 
on  the  day  of  rest. 
The  men  on 
guard  broke  the 
legs  of  the  thieves 
to  kill  them,  and 
thrust  a  spear  in- 
to Je-sus'  side  to 
make  sure  that  he 
was  dead. 

Now  there  was 
near  Cal-va-ry  a 
gar-den,  in  which 
was  a  tomb  in 
which  no  one  had 
been  laid.  It  was 
cut  in  a  rock,  and 


DEATH   OF   SAP  PHI- RA. 


a 


was  owned  by 
rich  man — Jo-seph  of  Ar-i-ma-the-a.  He  came  to  Pi- 
late and  begged  that  he  might  lay  Je-sus  in  this  grave, 
and  Pi-late  told  him  to  do  so.  And  Jo-seph  took 


Jesus  Leaves  the   Grave.  395 

Je-sus  down  from  the  cross,  and  wrapped  him  in  the 
fine  lin-en  he  had  brought,  and  laid  him  in  the  tomb, 
and  put  a  great  stone  at  the  door,  and  left  him  there. 

The  chief  priests  went  to  Pi-late  and  said,  It  has 
come  to  our  minds  that  Je-sus  said  that  he  would 
rise  on  the  third  day,  so  we  pray  thee  to  have  men 
watch  the  tomb  lest  some  of  his  friends  come  and  steal 
him,  and  then  go  and  say  that  he  rose  from  the  dead. 

Pi-late  said,  Ye  have  your  own  watch-men.  Go 
and  make  it  as  sure  as  you  can. 

So  they  went  and  put  a  seal  of  wax  on  the  great 
tomb,  and  set  men  to  watch  by  the  tomb. 

But  that  night  God  sent  down  an  an-gel,  and  he 
came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and 
sat  on  it.  His  face  shone  like  fire,  and  his  robes 
were  white  as  snow.  And  the  watch-men  shook  for 
fear  of  him,  and  had  no  more  strength  than  dead  men. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

JESUS    LEAVES    THE    GRAVE. APPEARS    TO    MARY. 

STEPHEN  STONED. PAUL/S  LIFE,  AND  DEATH. 

ON  the  first  day  of  the  week,  as  soon  as  it  was  light, 
three  wo-men,  friends  of  Je-sus,  came  to  the  tomb  with 
the  gums  and  spice  they  used  to  lay  out  their  dead. 


39^  History  of  the   New    Testament. 

And  they  said  as  they  went,  Who  shall  roll  the 
stone  a-way  from  the  door  of  the  tomb? 

And  lo,  when  they  came  near  they  found  that 
the  great  stone  had  been  rolled  a-way.  And  when 
they  went  in  the  tomb,  they  saw  an  an-gel  clothed  in 
a  long  white  robe,  and  they  shook  with  fear. 

He  said  to  them,  Have  no  fear.  Ye  seek  Je-sus, 
who  was  put  to  death  on  the  cross.  He  is  not  here, 
though  this  is  the  place  where  they  laid  him.  Go 
tell  his  friends  that  he  has  ris-en  from  the  dead,  and 
bid  them  go  to  Gal-i-lee  where  they  shall  see  him. 

Two  of  the  wo-men  from  the  tomb,  with  fear  and 
yet  with  joy,  ran  to  tell  the  good  news. 

But  Ma-ry  Mag-da-le-ne  stood  out-side  the  tomb 
and  wept.  And  as  she  stooped  down  and  looked  in 
the  tomb,  she  saw  two  an-gels  in  white,  the  one  at 
the  head,  the  oth-er  at  the  foot  of  the  place  where 
Je-sus  had  lain. 

And  they  said  to  her,  Why  dost  thou  weep?  She 
said,  Be-cause  they  have  taken  my  Lord  a-way,  and 
I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him.  And  when 
she  had  thus  said,  she  drew  back  and  saw  that  Je- 
sus stood  near,  yet  knew  not  that  it  was  he. 

Je-sus  said  to  her,  Ma-ry!  She  turned  and  said 
to  him,  Mas-ter! 

Je-sus  said,  Touch  me  not,  for  I  have  not  yet  gone 
up  to  my  Fa-ther;  but  go  tell  the  breth-ren  what 
thou  hast  seen  and  heard. 


Jesus  Leaves  the  Grave. 


397 


And  Ma-ry  told  them  that  she  had  seen  the 
Lord,  and  all  that  he  had  said  to  her. 

And  Je-sus  was  seen  two  or  three  times  on  the 
earth  af-ter  his 
death,  and  he  came 
and  spoke  to  those 
who  were  to  teach 
and  preach  as  he 
had  taught  them. 
But  Thom-as  was 
not  with  the  rest 
when  the  Lord 
came.  And  when 
they  told  him  that 
they  had  seen  the 
Lord,  he  said,  I 
doubt  it.  But  if  I 
shall  see  in  his  hands 
the  marks  of  the 
nails,  and  thrust  my 
hand  in  the  wound 
the  spear  made  in 
his  side,  then  shall 
I  know  that  it  is  he. 

In  eight  days  these  friends  met  in  a  room  to  talk 
and  pray.  Thom-as  was  with  them  and  the  door 
was  shut.  Then  came  Je-sus  and  stood  in  their 


HE  IS  RIS-EN. 


398  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

. 

midst  and  said,  Peace  be  un-to  you.  Then  said  he 
to  Thom-as,  Reach  here  and  touch  my  hands,  and 
put  thy  hand  in  my  side,  and  doubt  no  more  that  I 
have  ris-en  irom  the  dead. 

When  Thom-as  heard  his  voice  and  knew  that  it 
was  Je-sus,  he  said,  My  Lord  and  my  God.  Je-sus 
said  to  him,  Thom-as,  be-cause  thou  hast  seen  me, 
thou  hast  faith  in  me;  blest  are  they  that  have  not 
seen  me,  and  yet  put  their  trust  in  me. 

At  the  end  of  five  weeks  he  met  with  these  friends 
at  Je-ru-sa-lem.  And  when  he  had  had  a  talk  with 
them  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  Beth-a-ny.  And  he 
raised  his  hands  and  blest  them,  and  as  he  stood 
thus  he  went  up  in  a  cloud  out  of  their  sight. 

When  the  day  of  Pen-te-cost,  or  har-vest  feast, 
had  come,  Pe-ter,  and  the  rest  of  those  whom  Je-sus 
had  taught,  were  all  in  one  place. 

And  all  at  once  there  came  the  great  rush  of  a 
strong  wind  that  filled  the  room  where  they  were. 
And  tongues  of  fire  came  down  on  each  one  of  them, 
and  their  hearts  were  filled  with  a  strange  pow-er, 
and  they  spoke  all  known  tongues. 

And  there  were  men  there  from  all  parts  of  the 
East,  and  when  they  heard  these  men  of  Gal-i-lee 
speak  in  their  own  tongues  of  the  works  of  God,  they 
were  in  a  maze.  And  some  said,  These  men  are 
full  of  new  wine. 


CHRIST   AP-PF.AR-ING  TO   MARY. 


399 


4°°  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

But  Pe-ter  stood  up  and  said  the  men  were  not 
drunk,  but  that  this  strange  gift  of  speech  was  one  of 
the  signs  that  God  had  told  the  Jews  that  he  would 
send  on  the  earth.  And  Pe-ter  preached  so  well  to 
the  crowd  that  not  a  few  left  the  ranks  of  sin  and 
gave  their  hearts  to  Christ,  and  to  good  works. 

From  that  time  those  who  had  been  in  the  school 
in  which  Je-sus  taught  while  on  earth  went  out  to 
teach  and  preach  the  good  news.  They  gave  alms 
to  the  poor,  healed  the  sick,  and  did  all  the  good 
that  they  could. 

.One  of  them,  named  Ste-phen,  stood  up  to  preach 
and  to  tell  the  Jews  what  God  had  done  for  them, 
and  to  try  to  make  them  give  up  their  sins.  He 
spoke  in  plain  words,  and  said,  The  Jews  of  old  put 
to  death  those  who  were  sent  to  tell  them  that  Je- 
sus was  to  come;  and  now  you  have  slain  the  Just 
One  him-self. 

When  the  Jews  heard  this  they  were  full  of  rage, 
and  gnashed  their  teeth  at  him  like  wild  beasts.  But 
he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  sky,  and  saw  a  great  light 
there.  And  he  said,  I  see  Je-sus  on  the  right  hand 
of  God. 

Then  they  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  and 
stopped  their  ears  so  that  they  could  not  hear  his 
words ;  and  they  brought  him  out  of  the  town,  and 
stoned  him. 


THE  AS-CEN-SION  TO   HEAV^EN. 


4OI 


402  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

And  Ste-phen  knelt  down,  and  asked  God  to 
for-give  them  for  this  sin.  And  then  he  died. 

The  men  who  threw  the  stones  at  Ste-phen  took 
off  their  cloaks,  that  they  might  have  the  free  use  of 
their  arms,  and  laid  them  at  the  feet  of  a  young 
man  named  Saul. 


HOU-SES   ON  THE  WALLS   OF   DA-MAS-CUS. 


Now  Saul  had  done  much  harm  to  the  good 
cause,  and  was  in  a  great  rage  with  those  who  were 
friends  of  Je-sus  and  taught  his  truths.  So  he  went 
to  the  high  priest  at  Je-ru-sa-lem  and  asked  to  be  sent 
to  Da-mas-cus,  that  if  he  found  friends  of  Je-sus  there 
he  might  bind  them  with  cords  and  bring  them  back 


THE  COM-ING  OF  THE   HO-LY   GHOST. 


4°4  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

to  Je-ru-sa-lem.  And  the  high  priest  gave  him  notes 
to  those  who  had  charge  of  the  church-es  in  Da-mas- 
cus,  and  he  set  out  for  that  place.  But  when  he 
came  near  the  towrn  there  shone  round  him  a  great 
light,  and  he  was  in  such  fear  that  he  fell  to  the 
ground.  And  a  voice  said  to  him,  Saul,  Saul,  wrhy 
dost  thou  hate  me  and  hunt  me  down  ? 

Saul  said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ?  The  voice  said, 
I  am  Je-sus,  whom  thou  dost  use  so  ill. 

Then  Saul  shook  with  fear  and  said,  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?  The  Lord  said,  Rise,  and 
go  in-to  the  town,  and  it  shall  be  shown  thee  what 
thou  must  do.  And  the  men  who  were  with  him 
stood  dazed  and  dumb,  for  they  heard  the  voice,  but 
could  see  no  man. 

When  Saul  rose  from  the  earth  he  could  not  see, 
for  the  light  had  made  him  blind ;  and  those  who 
were  with  him  led  him  by  the  hand  in-to  Da-mas- 
cus.  And  for  three  days  he  had  no  sight;  and  he 
could  not  eat  nor  drink. 

But  God  sent  An-a-ni-as,  a  good  man,  to  touch 
his  eyes,  and  his  sight  and  his  strength  came  back. 
And  his  heart  was  changed,  and  there  was  no  man 
who  could  preach  as  Paul  did,  by  which  name  he 
was  now  known. 

For  a  while  he  went  with  Bar-na-bas.  Then  he 
took  Si-las  with  him,  and  they  made  both  friends  and 


Jesus  Leaves  the  Grave. 


4°5 


foes.  The  Jews  at  Phil-ip-pi  found  fault  with  them, 
beat  them  and  put  them  in  jail,  and.  bade  the  jail-er 
keep  them  safe.  So  he  made  their  feet  fast  in  the 
stocks — which  were 
great  blocks  of  wood-p 
with  holes  in  them. 

At  mid-night  Paul 
and  Si-las  prayed,  and 
those  in  the  jail  heard 
them.  Then  all  at  once 
there  came  a  great 
earth-quake  which 
shook  the  jail,  and  the 
doors  flew  o-pen,  and 
the  chains  fell  from 
those  who  were  bound. 
The  jail-er  woke  from 
his  sleep,  and  when  he 
saw  that  not  a  door  was 
shut,  he  feared  he 
would  be  put  to  death 
if  those  in  the  jail  had 
fled.  So  he  drew  his 
sword  to  kill  him-self.  But  Paul  cried  to  him  with 
a  loud  voice,  Do  thy-self  no  harm,  for  we  are  all  here. 

Then  the  jail-er  brought  a  light,  and  came  to  the 
cell  where  Paul  and  Si-las  were,  and  he  knelt  there, 


THE  CON-VER-SION  OF  ST.    PAUL. 


406  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

and  cried  out,  Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? 
And  they  said,  Have  faith  in  the  Lord  Je-sus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved. 

That  same  hour  of  the  night  the  jail-er  took  Paul 
and  Si-las  and  washed  their  wounds,  and  brought 
them  food,  and  his  heart  was  full  of  joy,  for  he  and 
all  in  his  house  were  made  Chris-tians,  and  God 
would  for-give  their  past  sins. 

The  next  morn  the  chief  men  at  Phil-ip-pi  sent 
word  to  the  jail-er  to  let  those  men  go,  for  the  Jews 
found  they  had  no  right  to  beat  Paul.  And  they 
feared  the  law,  and  begged  him  to  leave  the  town. 

Paul  went  to  A-thens,  the  chief  town  of  Greece, 
which  was  full  of  false  gods,  to  whom  al-tars  had  been 
built.  But  there  was  one  al-tar  on  which  were  the 
words,  To  THE  UN-KNOWN  GOD. 

Those  who  built  it  felt  that  there  was  one  God  of 
whom  they  had  not  been  taught,  and  this  al-tar  was 
for  him. 

Paul  taught  in  A-thens,  both  in-doors  and  out- 
doors. And  when  the  wise  men  heard  that  he  told 
of  Je-sus,  and  that  we  were  all  to  rise  from  the  dead, 
they  brought  him  to  Mars'  Hill,  where  the  chief 
court  was  held.  And  they  said  to  him,  Tell  us  now 
what  the  good  news  is.  For  thou  dost  speak  strange 
words,  and  we  would  like  to  know  what  they  mean. 

Paul  told  them  there  was  but  one  true  God,  and 


Jesus  Leaves  the  Grave. 


407 


they  must  serve  him  and  give  up  their  sins,  and 
put  their  trust  in  Je-sus,  and  they  would  all  be 
saved  at  the  last 
day. 

Then  Paul 
went  to  Corinth, 
where  he  spent 
some  time.  At 
the  end  of  some 
years  he  came 
back  to  Je-ru-sa- 
lem.  And  the 
Lord's  friends 
met  him,  and 
were  glad  to  see 
his  face  once 
more.  And  he 
told  them  where 
he  had  been, 
and  *  how  God 
had  helped  him. 

And  Paul 
went  up  to  the 
church.  And 
while  he  was  there  some  Jews  from  Asia  saw  him  and 
took  hold  of  him,  and  cried  out,  Men  of  Is-ra-el,  help 
us.  This  is  the  man  who  has  taught  that  we  were 


ST.    PAUL   LEAV-ING    TYRE. 


408  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

not  to  do  as  Mo-ses  told  us,  nor  to  come  here  to 
pay  our  vows.  And  he  has  brought  with  him  Gen- 
tiles whom  it  is  a  crime  to  let  come  in-to  our  church. 

Soon  all  the  town  was  in  an  up-roar,  and  Paul 
was  brought  in-to  the  church,  ancl  the  gates  that  led 
to  the  courts  were  all  shut.  As  they  were  about  to 
kill  him,  some  one  went  and  told  the  chief  who  had 
charge  of  a  band  of  Ro-man  troops,  and  dwelt  near 
the  great  church  to  guard  it.  And  he  and  some  of 
his  men  ran  down  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  who,  as 
soon  as  they  saw  them,  ceased  to  beat  Paul. 

The  chief  took  Paul  from  them,  and  had  him 
bound  with  chains,  and  asked  who  he  was  and  what 
he.  had  done.  Some  cried  this,  and  some  that,  and 
no  one  could  tell  just  what  they  said. 

And  the  chief  led  him  off  to  his  own  house,  to 
save  Paul's  life,  and  the  mob  brought  up  the  rear, 
and  cried  out,  A-way  with  him !  Kill  him !  The 
next  day  the  chief  let  Paul  go,  and  sent  him  to  Fe- 
lix, who  ruled  in  Ju-de-a.  And  here  he  was  shut 
up  in  jail,  and  was  there  for  two  years  or  more.  He 
told  them  who  he  was,  and  why  he  had  gone  to  Je- 
ru-sa-lem,  and  said  he  had  done  no  wrong  that  he 
knew  of;  though  some  might  say  it  was  wrong  for 
him  to  preach  that  the  dead  should  rise  from  their 
graves  at  the  last  day. 

Fe-lix  sent  the  Jews  off,  and  bade  the  jail-er  let 


4°9 


410 


History  of  the  New   Testament. 


Paul  walk  in  and  out  as  he  chose,  and  see  all  the 
friends  who  might  call.  He  was  there  for  two  years, 

and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  Fes-tus 
took  Fe-lix's 
place. 

At  last  he 
wassentto  Rome 
to  be  tried  be- 
fore the  Ce-sar. 
While  on  the 
sea  a  fierce  wind 
sprang  up,  and 
beat  the  ship  so 
that  the  men 
could  not  steer. 
And  they  were 
in  great  fear  lest 
they  should 
drown.  But 
Paul  told  them 
not  to  fear,  for 

ST.    PAUL'S  SHIP-WRECK.  thpUgh      tllC     ship 

might  be  awreck 

there  would  be  no  loss  of  life.  At  the  end  of  two 
weeks  the  ship  struck  the  isle  of  Mal-ta,  and  the  men 
swam  to  the  shore  on  bits  of  boards. 


412  History  of  the  New   Testament. 

Paul  staid  here  for  three  months,  and  then  went 
to  Rome,  where  he  dwelt  for  two  years  or  more,  and 
taught  men  to  trust  in  the  Lord  and  to  do  right. 

We  are  not  told  when  or  how  he  died. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

WHAT    JOHN   SAW   WHILE  ON   THE    ISLE    OF    PATHOS. THE 

GREAT   WHITE   THRONE. THE    LAND   OF  LIGHT. 

JOHN  wrote  the  last  book  in  the  New  Tes-ta- 
ment.  It  is  called  Rev-e-la-tion  ;  and  that  means 
that  it  tells  what  no  one  else  but  John  knew. 

John  was  sent  to  the  lone  isle  of  Pat-mos  by  one 
of  the  bad  Em-pe-rors  of  Rome,  who  would  not  let  him 
preach  or  teach  the  truths  that  Christ  taught. 

While  he  was  at  Pat-mos  Je-sus  came  to  him  in 
a  dream,  and  showed  him  all  the  things  that  he  wrote 
of  in  this  book. 

John  says  :  I  heard  a  great  voice  like  a  trum-pet, 
and  as  I  turned  to  see  who  it  was  that  spoke  to  me, 
I  saw  Je-sus  clothed  in  a  robe  that  fell  to  his  feet, 
and  was  held  at  the  waist  by  a  belt  of  gold.  And 
when  I  saw  him  I  fell  at  his  feet  like  one  dead.  And 
he  laid  his  right  hand  on  me,  and  said,  Fear  not ;  I 


What  John  Saw  while  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos.  413 

am  he  who  died  on  the  cross,  but  who  now  lives  to 
die  no  more. 


PAT-MOS. 


Je-sus  told  John  to  write  down  all  that  he  saw, 
and  to  send  it  to  the  church-es  for  which  it  was  meant. 


4r4  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

Then  John  saw  a  door  open  in  the  sky,  and  a 
voice  said  to  him,  Come  up  here,  and  I  will  show 
thee  what  will  take  place  in  the  time  to  come.  And 
he  heard  the  an-gels  sing  songs  of  praise  to  Je-sus, 
whom  they  called  the  Lamb  that  was  slain.  And 
John  was  shown  strange  things  that  were  to  teach 
him  what  the  friends  of  Christ  would  have  to  put  up 
with  till  the  end  of  the  world.  And  he  was  shown, 
too,  how  the  Lord  would  save  them  from  their  foes, 
so  that  at  last  no  one  could  hurt  or  harm  them. 

Then  John  saw  a  great  white  throne  in  heav-en, 
and  Je-sus  sat  on  it.  And  the  dead  rose  from  their 
graves,  and  came  and  stood  near  the  throne  to  be 
judged,  All  the  things  that  they  had  done  while  on 
the  earth  we-re  put  down  in  the  books  out  of  which 
they  were  judged.  And  if  their  names  were  not  in 
the  Book  of  Life  they  were  cast  in-to  the  lake  of  fire. 

When  this  great  day  was  past,  John  saw  new 
skies  and  a  new  earth,  for  the  old  earth  and  skies  had 
been  burnt  up,  And  he  saw  the  New  Je-ru-sa-lem 
come  down  from  the  skies,  and  heard  a  voice  say 
that  God  would  come  and  live  with  men. 

Round  the  New  Je-ru-sa-lem,  which  was  built  of 
gold,  was  a  high  wall  with  twelve  gates,  three  on  each 
side.  At  each  gate  was  an  an-gel  to  guard  it.  In 
the  walls  were  all  kinds  of  rich  and  rare  gems,  and 
its  twelve  gates  were  made  of  pearls. 


What  John  Saw  while  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos 


4*5 


There  was  no  need  of  the  sun  or  the  moon,  for 
God  was  there  and  Je-sus,  and  they  made  it  light. 
And  those  whom 
Je-sus  had  saved 
-Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles, rich  and  poor 
— were  to  come 
and  live  in  it. 
And  the  gates 
should  not  be 
shut,  for  there 
will  be  no  night 
there.  And  none 
but  those  whose 
names  are  in  the 
Book  of  Life  shall 


go  in-to  it. 

And  John  saw 
a  pure  riv-er  called 
the  wa-ter  of  life. 
On  each  side  of 
it  grew  the  tree 
of  life  that  bore 
twelve  kinds  of 
fruit,  which  were  ripe  each  month.  And  those 
who  dwell  in  that  land  of  light,  and  eat  the  fruits 
of  the  tree  of  life,  and  drink  of  the  wa-ter  of  life, 


ST.  JOHN'S  VIS-ION. 


416  History  of  the  New    Testament. 

shall  see  the  Lord's  face  and  be  with  him  and 
serve  him. 

He  will  wipe  all  tears  from  their  eyes,  and  there 
shall  be  no  more  death,  nor  grief,  nor  pain. 

Je-sus  said  to  John,  Blest  are  they  who  keep 
God's  laws  and  do  his  will,  that  they  may  pass 
through  the  gates  to  his  bright  home  on  high. 


THE    END. 


P  outledge's  Historical  Course. 

^^  IN  WORDS  OF  ONE  SYLLABLE.  Each  book  containing  about  225 
pages.  With  numerous  illustrations,  portraits  and  maps.  Boards,  lithographed 
double  covers.  Price  per  volume,  $1.00. 

HISTORY  OF  THE   UNITED  STATES,      .  BY  MRS.  HELEN  W.  PIERSON 

HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND, By  MRS.   HELEN  W.  PIERSON. 

HISTORY  OF  FRANCE, BY  MRS.   HELEN  W.  PIERSON. 

HISTORY  OF  GERMANY,        .  .     BY  MRS.  HELEN  W.  PIERSON. 

HISTORY  OF  IRELAND,      ...  BY  Miss  AGNES  SADLIER. 

HISTORY  OF  RUSSIA BY  Miss  HELEN  AINSLIE  SMITH. 

HISTORY  OF  JAPAN,    ....                  .  BY  Miss  HELEN  AINSLIE  SMITH. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  BATTLES  OF  AMERICA,  .     BY  Miss  JOSEPHINE  POLLARD. 

LIVES  OF  THE  PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

BY  MRS    HELEN  W.  PIERSON. 


"  Simple,  bright,  intelligent,  interesting,  instructive  histories  are  here  brought  to  the  younger 
readers,  and  abundance  of  illustration  serves  to  increase  the  pleasure  of  reading  and  the  chances  of 
remembering." — New  York  School  Journal. 

"  The  words  used  are  simple,  and  considerable  information  is  given  about  the  countries  in  a 
pleasant  way.  Excellent  maps  line  the  covers,  and  the  histories  are  brightly  and  accurately  illus- 
trated."— Springfield  Republican. 

"  We  know  of  no  other  books  which  treat  the  same  subjects  in  such  a  way  as  to  interest  a  juvenile 
audience." — Philadelphia  Telegraph. 

"  The  broad  pages,  printed  in  very  large,  open  type,  the  beautiful  and  appropriate  illustrations, 
make  these  books  the  best,  on  historical  subjects,  in  the  language." — New  England  Journal  of  Educa- 
tion. 

"They  are  profusely  and  well  illustrated,  with  brilliantly  illuminated  covers,  and  are  strongly 
bound,  as  books  which  are  certain  to  be  as  largely  read  as  these  should  be."— New  York  Mail  antt 
Express. 


GEORGE    ROUTLEDGE    &    SONS, 

9     LAFAYETTE     PLACE,     NEW     YORK. 


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